Thread by @nytimes

Dai Guihua, 31, once radiated vitality. She had “special wishes” she told to the night sky. She yearned to escape poverty.

22 days after her husband vanished, Dai walked to a pond and killed herself, as well as her son and daughter. This is her story. nyti.ms/3bWMadC

As the tragic tale of Dai’s death spread across social media and state news outlets, she became a symbol of the struggles in rural China, of those left behind in the country’s great economic boom. She is known as the “Orphan Girl.” nyti.ms/2Sx9cRg

@HernandezJavier traveled to Langtang, China, seven times to retrace the story of Dai, her children and the town's residents. He discovered a struggling Chinese town through the eyes of a teacher, a farmer, a social media star and a healer. nyti.ms/2Sx9cRg

Dai was 26 when matchmakers introduced her to her future husband, He Zhi. Together, they raised a son and daughter, seeming to achieve the Chinese dream. But their relationship deteriorated amid fights over money and family. They divorced and remarried. nyti.ms/2Sx9cRg

The couple’s daughter, almost 2, got sick, having seizures so violent that she lost consciousness. Local clinics turned her away. Dai and He took out dozens of short-term loans and credit cards to cover medical costs and other expenses; they racked up more than $15,000 in debt.

Dai’s husband came up with a plan to save the family from ruin, according to interviews with friends and relatives, legal records and news reports. He would fake his death and start a new life, allowing Dai to file an insurance claim of over $150,000. But he did not tell her.

He drove a rented car to a nearby town and parked it on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast river. He put the gear in drive, the authorities said, and watched the car fall. Dai searched for her husband for days. Friends and relatives blamed her for his disappearance.

On a frigid day a few weeks later, Dai walked with her children down a village road, carrying her marriage certificate, a bag of medicine for her daughter and 10 credit cards. She headed toward the pond. nyti.ms/2Sx9cRg

People from across China continue to remember Dai, the “Orphan Girl,” and her children. The tragedy echoes especially in Langtang, a town covered in upbeat propaganda signs but struggling with inequality, crime and an education crisis. Read the full story. nyti.ms/2Sx9cRg

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.