Up close and personal with Chen Guangbiao By CHOW HOW BAN
The billionaire Chinese businessman has pledge to donate all his fortune to charity when he passes on.
WHEN Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, two of the world's richest men, hosted a charity gala to create awareness on their Giving Pledge campaign in China last September, Chinese businessman Chen Guangbiao was the first to make public his participation in the event.
Inspired by Gates and Buffett, Chen wrote an open letter in his company's website, pledging to donate all his fortune to charity when he passes on.
With a net worth of five billion yuan (RM2.35bil), Chen, who owns Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Co Ltd, may not be the wealthiest in China but he is undoubtedly the most charismatic billionaires and philanthropists.
He is adored by the Chinese Communist Party and so many more for his generosity and commitment to help the less privileged. The numbers speak for itself. He has, thus far, donated some 1.35 billion yuan (RM635mil).
In April last year, he led a convoy of volunteers from his company to provide relief aid to victims of the Yushu earthquake.
Chen Guangbiao showing off his skills on a bicycle while cycling to work in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
Following the deadly quake in Sichuan province in 2008, Chen dug up 200 people from the rubble (he saved 11 lives).
During a meeting with Chen at the quake area, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao praised the philanthropist: “You are a conscientious entrepreneur with soul, moral and sentiments towards disaster-stricken victims. I salute you!â€
Chen has since enjoyed the limelight and title as China's No. 1 philanthropist a culmination of his charity cause throughout the past decade.
He is never one to shy away from the spotlight, which may be difficult to swallow for many traditional Chinese who uphold the trait of modesty and humility.
But Chen is unfazed as his philosophy is to promote his good deeds to as many as possible.
“The reason why I want to be in the public eye is because I want to influence more people to do good deeds and repay society,†says the 42-year-old from Jiangsu province's Sihong county in an interview with StarBizWeek in Beijing.
Citing the saying “a train can run fast because it is powered by the locomotiveâ€, Chen says that China's charity momentum should be spearheaded by more philanthropists.
“For a city to prosper, it's important to have good leadership. The act of leading by example is boundless. Don't listen to gossip and if you think you are doing the right thing, just continue to do it,†he says.
Chen's philosophy of charity and good value of helping others were shaped by his parents.
His growing up years stood witness to his mother helping and feeding other children in their village, although they barely had enough food to sustain themselves.
Evidently, the flame of his entrepreneurial spirit has been burning bright since his early years.
Chen self-financed his third year at school by fetching water from a well in a nearby village and selling it in town; the money he earned was used to pay for his books and school fees.
His charitable traits were also visible back then; upon learning that his neighbour did not have the funds to pay for his child's school fee, without hesitation, Chen would part with his hard-earned money.
He would also be the first to get to school and clean up the classroom and toilet and for these good deeds, he earned little red stars from his teacher.
“I pasted the little red star on my face as I wanted it to stay on my face. After class, I ran from one class to another announcing that I got the little red star and helped a fellow student to pay for his book and school fees,†Chen recalls.
“I learned from that day that it was important to let people know the good things you have done. After I received that little red star, all the other pupils wanted to emulate me.â€
While half of 50 Chinese tycoons were hesitant to attend the banquet hosted by Gates and Buffett fearing that they would be pressed for donations, Chen had sleepless nights not because of such fear but thinking of how to express himself in his open letter to both.
“I wrote that I welcome them to China on their charity trip and am grateful that they have decided to share the good values of Western philanthropy with the people in China.
“But unlike others who have pledged to donate only half their fortune, I have decided to give all my fortune back to society. I will leave nothing behind for my descendants. I will leave them with the experience of overcoming hardship and the spirit of industry,†he says.
On that note, Chen says he had started from zero and therefore, hopes that his children would do the same.
He believes that his sons 7 and 15 years old would succeed in their own right. In fact, according to him, they are already displaying musical and academic talents.
But will he really do that give up ALL his fortune? “When I say I will give away all my fortune, surely I will do so. I don't want my descendants to face public rebuke.â€
In 2007, he donated 181 million yuan (RM85mil) and in the following year, some 100 million yuan (RM47mil) as well as provided relief aid in quake areas. In 2009, he raised his donations to 313 million yuan (RM147mil), which was 75% of his company's net profit.
Judging by the pace he goes by pledging at least 50% of his company's profits to charity every year and the total fixed assets like some 600 million-dollar machineries, factories and houses he owns, not many doubt that Chen will keep to his donated-all word when the time comes.
His benevolent deeds are aplenty. He recently read about a paralysed girl from Guangxi province and had asked for her address in his microblog stating his intent to send her 50,000 yuan and pay for all her medical bills.
He posts all of his good deeds on his blog while his company's website mainly consists of information on his spirit of giving.
Chen is also an environmentalist. One of the driving forces when he set up his company that specialises in dismantling factories, bridges and houses and managing construction waste seven years ago, was to do his bit for the environment.
He cycles to work in Nanjing. He challenges people that if they see him taking a car to work, he will reward them 10,000 yuan (RM4,700).
Whenever he heard of any major pollution incident, he would go to the site to check out the problem himself and report it to the environment protection department.
The day before the interview at a restaurant in the Chinese capital, Chen and his team burnt the midnight oil in Nanjing to complete the production of a music video DVD that he later distributed to the media in Beijing.
The music video features Chen's youngest son singing a song he and his wife wrote about the need to protect the environment. In fact, two years ago he changed his son's name to Chen Huanbao which literally means protect the environment. His eldest son's name has also been changed to Huanjing which means the environment.
“It's necessary to change their names. This is to remind people of conserving the environment when they call my children's names.
“Initially, they didn't like the names. But after visiting the environment-themed pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, they told me that now they like their names very much,†Chen laughs.
He describes his company as an “unglamourous business that clears somebody's mess†but the reward has been great. Last year, he says his company would register at least 400 million yuan (RM188mil) in net profit.
His company mainly hires people from three groups, namely
ex-prisoners who have been released, migrant workers and former members of the Liberation Army. His employees, once sidelined by society, earn more than 3,000 yuan a month.
“I am grateful to the opening-up policy by the Chinese government and the good legal system as well as the labour of our workers that resulted in the rich gaining their wealth.
“That's why we have to give back to society and make a difference in the world in conserving the environment,†he says.
He adds that repaying society is the highest level of the spirit and philosophy of making money among entrepreneurs.
“Wealth is like water and it is merely worldly possession. If you have a glass of water, you drink it yourself. If you have a bucket of water, you keep it in your house, but when you have a river, you have to learn to share it†he says.
“I have at least 50 million fans,†Chen claims proudly. “I receive hundreds of letters every day from my fans who show their support for me. Of course, there are also some hate letters but it really doesn't matter. The most important thing is to insist on walking your own path.â€
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It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"