Photo taken on October 30, 2009 shows smiling Zhang Mingyang in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province."I have many dreams before learning skating, such as to be a scientist, a teacher or a doctor in the future. However, there is only one dream left now. I would like to be a figure skater and stand on the highest podium like Chinese world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo." the eight-year-old Zhang Mingyang wrote in a composition.Zhang, with a nickname of "Tian Tian", which means sweet in Chinese, is a grade three pupil of Huaihe Primary School in Harbin. "Tian Tian was a preemie," her mother Zhang Liting said. "She was only 2 kilograms when she was born. She was so weak that we decided to send her to learn figure skating for her to keep fit." But unexpectably, Tian Tian devoted herself to figure skating very much. She loved the sport when she entered the ice stadium for the first time. Tian Tian has kept skating in every morning from Monday to Friday for three years. She gets up at 5 o'clock and skates from 6 to half past 7 before going to school. She also skates in the evenings after school until 9:00 PM "Nobody forced her. She never complained. We even don't need to wake her up every morning," said her mother.The girl dances on the ice devotedly like a pixie, following her ice ballet dream.In the beginning of 2009, Tian Tian took part in the opening performance of the figure skating competition in the 24th Winter Universiade held in Harbin. However, her parents falls in a dilemma now because the girl faces heavier and heavier school work. Which one is more important? Figure skating or school education?"We respect her choice. Nothing is more important than her happiness," said her mother. [Xinhua]

Zhang Mingyang skates as her parents watch in the ice stadium in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, November 2, 2009. Her father Zhang Tianling yawns because it's too early in the morning. [Xinhua]