A good Samaritan in East China passes away
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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, Zhe gian g Daily reported.
Born into an underprivileged family in Yaocun village, Lanxi city of Zhe gian g 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."