Tennis star aids Yushu orphans
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China's tennis sensation Li Na, who recently broke into the world's top 10 ranking, has one more reason to do her best in the Sony Ericsson WTA tour - the further she goes, the more she can help the orphans in the earthquake-ravaged Yushu county of Qinghai province.
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Tennis player Li Na (right) learns Tibetan dances at an orphanage in Jianzha county, Qinghai province, on Tuesday. [China Daily] |
The 28-year-old, who made it to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Wimbledon last month, has decided to regularly donate the prize money she wins from WTA tour events to the orphans living in Yushu.
She began her chain of donations on Tuesday with a 400,000-yuan ($59,000) check to the Huangnanzhou Children Orphanage in Jianzha county of Qinghai, where 321 orphans live, including 56 who were relocated from Yushu after the April 14 quake flattened their orphanage.
The donation was a result of Li's quarterfinal finish at the Mutua Madilena Madrid Open in May.
Li was at the Huangnanzhou Children Orphanage on Tuesday on a tour and also gave some tennis tips to the children.
Trusting the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation will ensure her donations reach their rightful destinations, Li announced she will also donate all of her prize money from the $4.5-million China Open to be held in Beijing in October.
When asked to comment on her latest donation to the orphanage, Li said: "It's just worth it."
"I was in Germany when the Yushu earthquake happened. I was shocked by the news and also deeply moved by the people's courage in the face of the tragedy. I was thinking about what I could do to help them recover from this catastrophe."
Of Li's 400,000-yuan donation, 300,000 yuan will help cover the living expenses of 56 Yushu orphans for the next three years, while the remaining 100,000 yuan will be used to purchase sports equipment for 10 Yushu schools, where some 1,000 children study, and train teachers on ways to use sports to promote the children's development.
Li said what pleased her most was the fact that the orphans in Yushu were ready to forget the earthquake, which claimed some 2,700 lives and left tens of thousands injured and homeless, and move on with life.
"I was a little worried that they might still be influenced by (the) earthquake. But I found them to be very optimistic, wearing big smiles all the time. They are much better than I expected," she said.
The children were shy at first, but soon opened up when they learnt they will have an opportunity to play with the China No 1 on a mini tennis court.
Although none of them had held a tennis racket ever before, they seemed to be having a great time trying to rally with Li under the scorching sun.
Li, who made China's tennis history by being the first to win a WTA tour title, the first to make it to the quarterfinal stage of a Grand Slam event and the first to enter the world's top 10, said she was happier playing with the orphans than she has ever been on the professional court.
"The happiness here is more real and sincere," said the Wuhan native. "I just had a very pleasant day."
And the orphans felt the same.
Chenglin Zhuoma, from Dege county of Sichuan province, said she is thinking about playing tennis in the future after a knock with Li.
"I came to know about tennis while watching Tennis Prince (a Japanese cartoon). Now I will play some real tennis."
Qi Xiujun, a social worker at the orphanage, said she hopes Li's success will inspire these children. "Celebrities like Li can inspire the orphans to live a better life."
Li said it was in fact the kids who inspired her.
"I feel they are much stronger than us," she said. "They will inspire me to do better on the court in the future so I can return them some more love."
Li said she would revisit the orphans after the China Open and continue her charity next year.
She is even thinking of setting up a foundation to help Yushu orphans with the help of other Chinese sports stars.
"I was cultivated and fostered by the nation. I hope when these orphans grow up, they will do the same to help more people in China."
Li's compatriot Zheng Jie also donated all her prize money from the 2008 Wimbledon, where she unexpectedly made it to the semifinals as a wild card, to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake.
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