Published : 2024-03-04
A small vendor from Hong Kong who makes a living through selling tea eggs and hairy crab has donated 15 million RMB to build 18 teaching buildings, 32 classrooms and dormitory buildings, and a library.
Throughout his life, he lived frugally and donated almost all of his savings. People once encouraged him to buy property, but he responded, "Buying a house would only benefit me, but if I use two million to build a school, think about how many people would benefit."
Cheung Kit never forgot to give back to hometown
His name is Cheung Kit (張傑). He is relatively unknown in Hong Kong, but he is famous in Shangyu District (上虞區) of Shaoxing City in Zhejiang Province. Half of the Shangyu residents under the age of 50 have directly or indirectly benefited from him--through scholarships he set up, school buildings he financed, or teaching materials he donated.
Cheung Kit was born in Lianghu Town in Shangyu, in 1928. His family lived in poverty, and he had to go out to make a living before even finishing primary school.
He eventually ended up in Hong Kong, where he worked as an assistant, then a partner in a shop for 20 years. In 1978, he rented a small stall of less than six square metres at Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, where he made a living selling tea eggs, rice dumplings, and hairy crabs.
Although his life in Hong Kong was not rich, he never forgot his hometown Shangyu, and always thought about helping others for education.
In 1979, Cheung Kit donated a colored TV worth 3,000 to Shangyu Middle School. Afterward, whenever he returned to his hometown, he visited various schools. Wherever he found difficulties, he helps them build classrooms and buy equipment.
During the 1980s, Cheung Kit consecutively donated teaching buildings, libraries, and dormitory buildings to Shangyu Middle School. He also donated televisions, musical instruments, fans, and other materials.
In addition, he set up a scholarship fund of 10,000 for students.
In the 1990s, upon learning about the "Project Hope" launched by the country, Cheung Kit visited small schools in the Siming Mountain area of Shangyu. The poor conditions deeply moved him and he donated 1.2 million RMB in total to build two middle schools and three primary schools in the most remote villages.
Read more: Project Hope: Knowledge changes fate
"Sleep on the floor, eat bean paste" Cheung Kit's frugal life for charity
Compared to his generosity toward his hometown, Cheung Kit was scrupulously frugal when it came to his own expenses.
Someone once mistakenly thought he was a Hong Kong tycoon, to which he jokingly replied, "People call me boss, but actually I sleep on the floor and eat bean paste."
In his daily life, he had simple meals and wore cheap clothes. When he finally saved some money, relatives encouraged him to buy a house.
After some consideration, he gave up the idea, stating, "I think about it, buying a house would only benefit me, but if I invest two million in a school, how many people would that help?"
One year, Cheung Kit became sick. A surgery cost him a significant amount of his savings, which he had planned to donate. Lying in the hospital bed, he was restless, wondering how to make up for the sudden shortfall. In the end, this man, who had smoked for decades, forced himself to quit smoking.
Bit by bit, every drop makes the ocean. Over more than 40 years, Cheung Kit donated a total of 15 million RMB, built 18 teaching buildings, 32 classrooms and dormitory buildings, a library, and established an education fund of over two million RMB to support disadvantaged students.
As the years went by, Cheung Kit gradually retreated from the public eye. The most recent time he appeared in public was in August 2023 when representatives from Shangyu visited Hong Kong to celebrate his 95th birthday. It was Cheung Kit's first time celebrating his birthday.
When he turned 70, Cheung Kit's children planned a birthday banquet for him, but he donated the 5,000 in cash his children prepared for him to Shangyu Middle School for purchasing books.
He said at the time, "Some people ask me what the secret to longevity is? Generosity! I've donated my entire life's savings, all scrimped and saved, to my hometown, and I feel very happy. Perhaps longevity is the reward to me."
On 18 February, 2024, Cheung Kit suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 95. His lifelong acts of kindness, earning money bit by bit and donating item by item, embody the spirit of "walking the great path," as described on the plaque of the memorial hall built for him by the people of Shangyu.
Read more: School dropouts due to poverty become history: China supports 1.3 billion poor students in 10 years
