The home of the elderly man, Mr. Zhou Huosheng, is piled high with books.
Mr. Zhou Huosheng, a 74-year-old from Kunshan, Jiangsu, has made 73 trips over 16 years into revolutionary old areas, using his pension and proceeds from charity book sales to support more than 650 impoverished students.
Earning 9000 yuan per month but living a frugal life
The reporter drove to Qian Deng Town in Kunshan City to visit the elderly Mr. Zhou Huosheng. From afar, we saw an elderly man who was small in stature yet full of spirit standing downstairs. The elderly man told us that he had just returned from Kunshan City where he had been selecting books for the children. He said that in order to ensure each book was suitable for the children to read, he personally selected them every time.
Mr. Zhou Huosheng and his wife earn more than 9000 yuan monthly. His two children also have comfortable jobs and substantial incomes, making this a typical well-off family. However, the elderly still live in an old house built in 1993 with no decent furniture. The elderly man pointed to a small refrigerator in the corner of the room and a TV in the bedroom, saying that these were benefits from his children's company; otherwise, they would still be using a 14-inch TV bought 20 years ago! And in this humble room of less than 80 square meters, most of it is filled with books for charity sales. When the reporter entered Mr. Zhou's home, the elderly man warmly invited the reporter to sit down. However, it was embarrassing because there were not even three stools to be found in the entire house. Thus, the elderly man laughed and said, "You sit, I'll stand!"
Charity book sales for the Hope Project
Mr. Zhou Huosheng began paying attention to and participating in the Hope Project in 1993. That was the year before his retirement when a television report announced the opening of the first Hope Primary School in China - Jinzhai County Hope Primary School in Anhui Province. The longing gazes of those children in the footage deeply moved Mr. Zhou Huosheng, and he immediately sent 1000 yuan to this Hope Primary School. That year, he donated a total of 5000 yuan in three installments.
Afterwards, Mr. Zhou Huosheng started saving penny by penny from his clothing, food, housing, transportation, and daily expenses, accumulating a sum of "private money," all of which he sent to the children in Dabie Mountain. However, Mr. Zhou Huosheng soon realized that merely saving from his fixed salary was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. Therefore, he thought of earning profits through buying and selling books. To reduce costs, he always took the bus to the Shanghai Wen Miao Market to wholesale books, then transported them back to Qian Deng. There was still a considerable distance from the Wen Miao Market to the station, but the elderly man was unwilling to spend the few yuan on freight fees. Often, he carried several jute bags on a pole across his shoulders, transporting them to the station. After returning to Qian Deng, the elderly man would carry the pole to various middle and primary schools in the towns to sell books. Walking tens of kilometers every day, from one town to another, by the end of the day, his body could barely keep up. Under the persuasion of his wife, Mr. Zhou Huosheng finally agreed to spend 400 yuan to buy a tricycle. Before each trip, the elderly man would always place a small red flag in front of the vehicle, inscribed with: "Charity book sales for the Hope Project, rain or shine."
More than 650 impoverished students complete their studies
In the past 16 years, the elderly man has visited almost all the middle and primary schools in Kunshan City, ridden four tricycles to disrepair, sold 150,000 books for charity, and earned more than 200,000 yuan from the price differences, all of which were donated to the children in the old areas. More than 650 impoverished students have completed their studies under his sponsorship, among whom more than 50 have entered universities and become college students.
For 16 years, Mr. Zhou Huosheng has been selling books for charity, not seeking fame or profit, but wholeheartedly ensuring that the children in the old areas can read books and read good ones. The parents of the children in the old areas once gave Mr. Zhou Huosheng a few eggs and a pack of tea, both of which he refused. The elderly man said he would not take even a needle or thread from the old areas. Determined to change the backward educational appearance of the impoverished mountainous areas, he resolved to work harder, aiming to enter the Dabie Mountains 100 times, continuing to contribute as long as he lives.
(According to a report by Yangtse Evening News)