A good Samaritan in East China passes away

Yao Baoxi, who dedicated his life to helping others and donated a total of 15 million yuan ($2.07 million) to his hometown, passed away on Monday at the age of 89, Zhejiang Daily reported.

Born into an underprivileged family in Yaocun village, Lanxi city of Zhejiang province in 1935, Yao was fortunate to have his tuition financed by kind benefactors. With hard work and excellent academic performance, Yao enrolled at a college in Xi'an city, Shaanxi province, to study petroleum. After graduation, he found a job in eastern China.

While working in Shanghai, Yao learned that his hometown was planning to establish a charity federation, so he donated 600,000 yuan without hesitation.

In 2004, using the alias name of "Mucun", Yao donated over 3 million yuan to help set up a senior activity center in Lanxi, which brought joy to local elderly people. 

Besides, he established a special fund named "Mucun" for education. Annually, 50,000 yuan from the fund is used to reward the outstanding students and those from poor families at Lanxi No 1 Middle School. He also set up a scholarship fund of 300,000 yuan in his village.

Moreover, when he heard an ancient building in his hometown required restoration, and there was a funding gap of 5 million yuan, he personally donated 4 million and introduced a professional team for the construction.

Though he was kind and generous to others, Yao himself lived a frugal life. He used the same patched belt for 20 years. "I was born and raised in my hometown, and I must do something in return," Yao said.

In 2021, Yao was honored with the title of "Good Samaritan of China."