Recently, the globe has been discussing the generous donation of Bill Gates. Coincidentally, in Guangzhou, there is an elderly man who has donated all his property. According to Guangzhou Daily, this old man is a common retiree, and the 400,000 yuan he donated is his life savings.
He is thrifty.
Li Guangyang lives in an old one-story house. Around his little room, the most valuable items are an old 29-inch television and a relatively new wooden wardrobe. Except for these two things, there is nothing decent at all. Gao Yun, president of the Rescue Union Retirement Center, sighed with emotion and said, "In Guangzhou, some families receiving the minimum living guarantee from the government have a fridge and air conditioner, but Li never uses air conditioner."
Li does not have his own apartment. The 10 square meters where he lives is rented. Every month he must pay rent and utilities. According to workers at the Guangzhou Rescue Center, leaders urged him to move to a new building with two bedrooms, but Li refused. Li said, "I am alone. It is extravagant to live in a building with two bedrooms."
He is stingy.
Li is a Hakka, an ethnic minority in China. In 1981, he became a common laborer at the Guangzhou Rescue Center. He worked there for many years until his retirement.
Gao Yun is Li's best friend. He told Guangzhou Daily, "Li has treated himself meanly, even harshly. He wore coveralls he had worn for more than ten years when he recently attended a charity banquet, although I told him again and again to buy new clothes. "
Some may wonder how Li treats his colleagues. Gao Yun said jokingly, "It is hard for him to offer others even a bottle of water." According to Gao, he once was on a business trip to Nanjing with Li. Li's mother lived in Nanjing, but he did not know the roads there. So Gao Yun guided him to his mother's home. However, Li did not invite him to his mother's home, not even offering him a bottle of water.
He is generous.
He has donated his life savings to charity many times. "A few years ago, Li Guangyan donated 280,000 yuan to the Guangzhou Charity Association to help set up the Guangzhou Charity Hospital." Gao Yun told Guangzhou Daily. "He also donated some valuables, such as a gold necklace and a ring. The money and materials he donated at that time equaled more than 300,000 yuan. In return, the Guangzhou Charity Association gave him receipts showing his donations."
Sometimes, when he passed by the bank, Li would put 100 yuan into the donation box for poverty alleviation. When the heavy earthquake hit Sichuan, he again donated all of his housing subsidies and savings totaling some 100,000 yuan. Li has donated at least 400,000 yuan to public welfare undertakings. "This is a person's life savings," Lu Beila, secretary-general of Guangzhou Charity Association, said.
He has donated a good amount of money to charity, but some may wonder if he is rich. The answer is definitely not.
Gao Yun has worked in the Labor Union for many years, so he knows Li's monetary situation. According to Gao, Li lives a thrifty life. Most of his donations were from his savings, while some came from his mother's inheritance.
Li would not like to reveal the specific number of contributions. Nevertheless, Gao Yun told Guangzhou Daily that Li only has about 20,000 yuan left in his bank account.
(China.org.cn by Ma Yujia, July 15, 2008)