The most inspiring Charitarian in China

Meet Chen Guangbiao, the man with a charitable disposition who has said several times that if he donates 1 million yuan, he would like 1.3 billion Chinese people, and even 6.5 billion people around the world to know about it.

"What I really want is more people to join me," said Chen, 41, who is ranked by the public as "the First Charitarian" in China, not only for his generous donations but also for his high-profile presence, though he is usually blamed for showing off.

"Yes, I am showing off. It is to inspire people with money and the strength to do more charity," stressed the chairman of Jiangsu Huangpu Renewable Resources Utilization Co Ltd, a private business with annual sales running into billions of yuan.

Unlike those successful business people and philanthropists who are soft-spoken and reserved, Chen likes talking, laughing and airing his opinion in forums, conferences and media interviews, usually without a prepared draft or notes.

As a member of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chen raised a series of charity-related proposals, involving collecting estate tax from rich with a rate of 60 percent, high luxury consumption taxation, as well as medical emergency relief in rural areas.

The successful entrepreneur, after years of charity work, has won a lot of philanthropic titles and awards, such as the earthquake relief model by the State Council and the Central Military Commission. He was also named one of the 10 outstanding volunteers in China by the Red Cross Society of China and also won the China Charity Reward from the China Charity Foundation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs for four consecutive years.

"I like the title of 'The Most Inspiring Charitarian in China' the most, which demonstrates what I have done to bring momentum to China's charity industry," Chen told China Business Weekly.

The Jiangsu native, as the first civilian rescue team leader, raced to the quake-hit Sichuan province immediately after the May 12 earthquake with 60 sets of heavy-duty engineering machines for rescue and relief, almost arriving at the same time as the army. In his 54 days and nights there, he helped save 131 lives and donated 7.85 million yuan, 170 tons of rice, 2,300 tents, 23,000 radios, 1,000 TVs and 1,500 electric fans, with total value exceeding 100 million yuan.

Since setting up his company in 1998, he has devoted himself to helping disadvantaged people.

The company earned 200,000 yuan in 1998 and donated 30,000 yuan to a nine-year-old girl with leukemia. The next year, Chen took 280,000 yuan from the 600,000 yuan he had earned and built a 4.8-km road, school and an open fair for his hometown. In recent years, Chen has been associated with a string of social causes, involving SARS relief, rural education improvement, poverty alleviation and healthcare for disabled and elderly people, and his donations amounted to 617 million yuan by the end of last year. His company Jiangsu Huangpu earmarks 30 percent of its sales revenue for charity every year.

Chen's latest donation of 33 million yuan, comprising 6,000 computers, 10 Iveco mini vans and 10 million yuan in cash has seen his social donations this year exceed 100 million yuan.

The goods and cash are for education improvement in earthquake-hit or poverty-stricken minority-inhabited areas, such as Deyang, Mianzhu and Wenchuan of Sichuan province, Yan'an of Shaanxi, Yushu in Qinghai and Bijie of Guizhou.

According to Liu Jing, director of The Philanthropy Times, a newspaper under the Ministry of Civil Affairs, due to the market slowdown, social donations slumped sharply this year.

"Chen is further increasing his donations, which is remarkable amid a gloomy economy and his actions could well encourage more to contribute," said Liu.

Sources from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said charity funds in China surpassed 107 billion yuan last year, while the figure was 4.8 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year.

Chen said his business has not been affected and is running better than ever. "That is the return for what I have done for the society, so I will contribute more," he said.

"I have 1,374 certificates of honor, 315 pennants, 217 trophy cups, nearly 4,000 Khatags (silk riband offered by some Chinese minority people to represent gratitude) and I feel proud and treasure these honors, and it will stimulate me to do more. I have also received 33 sacks of letters seeking help," the philanthropist said, frowning.

"I cannot do it all alone. My ability is limited and we need more rich friends to help them. That is why I prefer to remain high-profile and show off to inspire others," said Chen.

The tactic is obviously working as more private entrepreneurs are participating in Chen's programs.

He took a team of peers to Yushu, a Tibetan-inhabited county in Qinghai, in 2005 for possible donation to local schools. Over 30 private entrepreneurs ultimately joined the group, and donated around 3 million yuan. Combined with Chen's 12 million yuan, the charity fund helped build 46 primary schools, covering 4,200 students, locally.

Chen said the harsh lessons of his own impoverished childhood help him understand the feelings of those in need. He said he never ate a piece of meat or a full piece of steamed bread till he was 10. He also watched his brother and sister die from hunger.

The opening up and market reform policies allowed Chen to start his own business and get rich. "I am profoundly grateful to Deng Xiaoping, who led the reform, and the society, which offered me opportunities to earn money, I must give it back," said Chen, stressing that private businessmen become rich due to favorable policies and support from people. Hence, miserliness is shameful, he adds.

"Living in the happiness of helping others is greater than dying in the golden mountain," said Chen.

(China Daily 07/06/2009 page12)