By Wu Jin
China.org.cn staff reporter
The fortune belonging to Chinese businessman Chen Guangbiao is dramatically smaller than the immense wealth owned by Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but his philanthropic approach is similar to the world's famous tycoons' philosophy -- to donate most of their private wealth to the poor.
But unlike the two charity gurus, who earn renown for their frugality through generous donations, the Jiangsu born philanthropist also fights chivalrously for the dignity and equality of the poor by goading mainland millionaires to sacrifice part of their fortunes.
During the ongoing Chinese parliamentary NPC and CPPCC sessions, Chen, the owner of a 7-billion-yuan (US$1.02 billion) recycling company headquartered in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, proposed to tax the legacies left by the wealthy, whose personal salary hit 1 million yuan a year, at a rate of 60 percent.
His blunt approach, in which he hammered home the message "it is a big shame to die rich", has made a big splash with a public that is generally uneasy over widening income gaps and irritated at those who arrogantly show-off their fortunes. According to Changsha Evening News, a number of netizens support this approach as a way to narrow wealth gaps, though some of them suggest a legal system for protection. Others oppose the levy, saying the measure is impractical and potentially disastrous to wealth creation.
According to the Changsha Evening News report, after weighing up the pros and cons, economist Long Wenjie from Hunan University of Technology said: "As the nation's economic development is still in its nascent stage, the levy of such a tax will generate more benefits than harm."
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On May 12 last year, when the fatal earthquake shook a huge part of the province and claimed thousands of lives, Chen Guangbiao (left) and 120 employees rushed from southeast China's Jiangsu to the disaster scene in Sichuan in 36 hours with a fleet of 60 cranes and trucks. [Chinanews] |
To the accompaniment of the heated public debate and ongoing grumbles from his wealthy friends, Chen remains resolved to push the rich to hand out their money. "It's time for the wealthy to change their view of riches. It is better to teach their kids the values of creativity, diligence and benevolence, upon which their success will depend, than to spoil them with extravagance," he said, at the same time stressing that true happiness and real glory lie in the sharing of good fortune with others.
Spearheading the domestic charity campaign, Chen seizes almost every opportunity to remind the wealthy to take public interest into consideration. "The pharmaceutical companies, which make fat profits from expensive medical costs, should cut prices by 30 percent to make their products affordable to ordinary people," Chen proclaimed when being interviewed by China.org.cn.
He is often struck by the whim to urge domestic companies to make donations after hearing that they have netted huge profits. As a prominent philanthropist in the country, Chen lacks no influence in his actions. He grabbed the limelight last year when his speedy and devoted rescue-work in earthquake-hit Sichuan Province struck a deep chord with millions of people around the country.
On May 12 last year, when the fatal earthquake shook a huge part of the province and claimed thousands of lives, Chen and 120 employees rushed from southeast China's Jiangsu to the disaster scene in Sichuan in 36 hours with a fleet of 60 cranes and trucks. Smeared with mud and blood, Chen saved 128 lives and dug out 208 victims. The 250,000-yuan in cash he took when setting off was all handed out to homeless villagers. He spent 54 days in the quake-hit zone and donated more than 100 million yuan for post-quake construction. His altruistic behavior won Chen widespread overnight fame and his bravery and benevolence were highly commended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
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On May 12 last year, when the fatal earthquake shook a huge part of the province and claimed thousands of lives, Chen and 120 employees rushed from southeast China’s Jiangsu to the disaster scene in Sichuan in 36 hours with a fleet of 60 cranes and trucks. [Chinanews] |
Meanwhile, there was also criticism that the philanthropist is a self-publicist who merely takes advantage of media coverage. Chen responded directly to such criticism, pointing out that there is no reason for a philanthropist to cloak himself in anonymity or false modesty. "The promotion of good deeds can spur additional public enthusiasm for charitable acts," he said.
Born in a rural family long inured in poverty in the late 1960s, Chen showed his charitable instinct when he was in primary school, where he paid 1.8 yuan for a classmate to get textbooks after garnering his first gold nuggets by selling well water in the market. His competence in running business became apparent when he grew up and his business successes have always been accompanied by charitable activities. He has long been involved in improving the lives of rural Tibetans, and set up a number of hope schools in Qinghai Province in 2005.
And he has no plans to retreat from the charity arena. According to Chen, he will continue to donate 2,000 computers and 3 million yuan in cash to the quake-hit zone in Sichuan on the first anniversary of the disaster. "Happiness comes when you are helping others," Chen continues to repeat his gospel through the media to his wealthy peers.
The words of Mr. Chen:
"I never heard of a company going bankrupt because its chief donated too much to charities. It might seem that people lose part of their wealth when passing money on to others, but as far as I am concerned, they gain a lot and lose nothing."
"If you only have a cup of water, you can drink it all for yourself, and if there is a barrel of water, you can store it for family use, but if you own a river then you need to learn how to share the water with others."
"It is hard for a company to develop in isolation, so every business has its responsibility to pay its dues to society. The more the company earns, the higher its accountability should be. Entrepreneurs should always keep in mind the great worth of sharing their achievements with others."
"Life becomes valuable and meaningful when you influence others by improving their lives."
(China.org.cn March 12, 2009)