Chinese boy, 8, with 'frozen hair' goes viral after heartbreaking photos emerge

An 8-year-old boy from China, dubbed by many as the "Ice Boy" on social media recently, has reignited a discussion about child poverty after photos surfaced of him arriving at school with frost on his hair and swollen hands.

Many online say the heartbreaking photos of "Little Wang," who went viral earlier this week, shed light on China's efforts to help children from poor families.

See photos of Wang:

They also sympathize with Wang's harsh journey to and from school in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

According to the state-run China News Service agency, the young boy walks nearly 3 miles every morning to get to school, which reportedly takes him about an hour. The agency also reported that on the day the viral photos of Wang were taken, the temperature was 15.8F.

Wang's teacher reportedly captured the photos of him arriving to school on Jan. 8. and sent them to the headmaster and several others before the photos landed on China's popular microblog site, Sina Weibo.

SEE ALSO: New poll reveals China is the most optimistic country in the world

Since going viral, Wang's story has prompted thousands online to donate money and clothes to the boy, using the hashtag "#IceBoy" to spread awareness.

The South China Morning Post reported that local authorities even donated $15,370 to the Zhuangshanbao primary school, where Wang attends in a city that reportedly has over 1.13 million people living below the poverty line. Additionally, students at the school were gifted $77 and 144 pieces of winter clothing according to the local outlet.

In a statement Friday, the Yunnan Youth Development Foundation also announced that it had received $333,861 in donations after it launched a campaign to help impoverished youths in the province.

RELATED: Drone photos reveal poverty in Mexico city