Peng Xianghu, a 51-year-old migrant worker in North China's Hebei province, has been admitted to the same university as his 19-year-old daughter and widely praised by netizens for his eagerness for knowledge.

?"I like acquiring new knowledge and it has always been a disappointment that I missed the opportunity to study at a university," Peng was quoted as saying."

Born in 1966, Peng dropped out of a high school in Shahe city of Xingtai, North China's Hebei province,?when he was 17 due to his family's poverty, according to a report by Zhengzhou Evening News.

After school, he worked in dozens of jobs as a migrant worker, including working in different factories and selling vegetables.

Peng worked even harder after his marriage because he had to earn enough money to support his family and pay his three children's tuition fees.

"I could only do this kind of physical work because of my lack of knowledge," Peng said, adding that during the past three decades he always dreamed of going to university.

Last year, two of his children were going to graduate from universities and the youngest was going to take the college entrance examination.

With less of a family burden, he started to borrow books from high schools and took the college entrance examination this year.

In September, he successfully enrolled in Hebei University of Environmental Engineering.

"I'm proud of my father and he is my model," said Peng Songhua, Peng Xianghu's daughter, who enrolled with him at the same university.

The father and daughter have since become well known at the university and praised widely on the internet for Peng's enthusiasm for knowledge.

Contact the writer at: zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn