A twelve-year-old genius who amazed tourists by speaking a dozen languages has received the chance of a lifetime - after a wealthy benefactor sent him to school in China.
Poverty-stricken Cambodian boy Thuch Salik amazed visitors to the country’s Angkor Wat temple where he reeled off sales spiel to different nationalities.
Self-taught Thuch had developed the skill in order to scrape together living selling souvenirs to holidaymakers at the World Heritage site in Siem Reap.
Footage of Thuch's talent emerged in November last year and he became an online star.
Cambodian businessman Khit Chhern has now ‘adopted’ the boy as his grandson and funded his education in China.
Khit said that he wants to take care of the talented boy and help to give him the opportunity to receive an education.
He said: "The first time I saw his video, I was amazed. I immediately wanted to take care of him and help him.’’
Thuch is now attending Hailiang Foreign Language School in Zhejiang province.
Upon arriving at the airport on May 13, the students and staff members of the school greeted him with flowers and a welcome dance.
China and Cambodia have developed increasingly close economic ties in recent years with the Communist superstate funding vast projects in Cambodia. Though some locals have criticised the Chinese 'colonisation' of Cambodian cities like Sihanoukville.
A spokesperson for Hailiang Group, the owner of the school, said they would also help with Thuch ’s education fees and living expenses through his university years, including postgraduate courses if he chooses to pursue them.
Thuch has started school now and according to his teachers, he is adapting well.
His teacher, Hannah Wang said: “Thuch is studying fundamental Chinese and he is coping with the studies in English and maths because there is curriculum difference between the two countries.”
Footage from November last year shows how Thuch can speak fluently in his native Khmer as well as English, Thai, Mandarin, and French.
The enterprising youngster also has conservational skills in Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, Filipino and Malaysian.
The uplifting footage was taken by traveller Venus G from Malaysia who said she was amazed by the youngster.
Venus said: ''What really shocked me was one of the boys there who is so talented, he can speak more than 10 languages.
''He talked to me in Cantonese at first, then he told me how many languages he can speak, he really amazed me.''
Poverty-stricken Cambodian boy Thuch Salik amazed visitors to the country’s Angkor Wat temple where he reeled off sales spiel to different nationalities.
Self-taught Thuch had developed the skill in order to scrape together living selling souvenirs to holidaymakers at the World Heritage site in Siem Reap.
Footage of Thuch's talent emerged in November last year and he became an online star.
Cambodian businessman Khit Chhern has now ‘adopted’ the boy as his grandson and funded his education in China.
Khit said that he wants to take care of the talented boy and help to give him the opportunity to receive an education.
He said: "The first time I saw his video, I was amazed. I immediately wanted to take care of him and help him.’’
Thuch is now attending Hailiang Foreign Language School in Zhejiang province.
Upon arriving at the airport on May 13, the students and staff members of the school greeted him with flowers and a welcome dance.
China and Cambodia have developed increasingly close economic ties in recent years with the Communist superstate funding vast projects in Cambodia. Though some locals have criticised the Chinese 'colonisation' of Cambodian cities like Sihanoukville.
A spokesperson for Hailiang Group, the owner of the school, said they would also help with Thuch ’s education fees and living expenses through his university years, including postgraduate courses if he chooses to pursue them.
Thuch has started school now and according to his teachers, he is adapting well.
His teacher, Hannah Wang said: “Thuch is studying fundamental Chinese and he is coping with the studies in English and maths because there is curriculum difference between the two countries.”
Footage from November last year shows how Thuch can speak fluently in his native Khmer as well as English, Thai, Mandarin, and French.
The enterprising youngster also has conservational skills in Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, Filipino and Malaysian.
The uplifting footage was taken by traveller Venus G from Malaysia who said she was amazed by the youngster.
Venus said: ''What really shocked me was one of the boys there who is so talented, he can speak more than 10 languages.
''He talked to me in Cantonese at first, then he told me how many languages he can speak, he really amazed me.''
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People