Tsinghua postdoctoral fellow Cao Mingxiu has taken on debt to fund educational initiatives. (Image sourced from the internet) Affected by the Guo Meimei incident, social donations to the Rixin Wangwei Fund have almost ceased. Despite having no car, no house, and no savings, the couple has faced doubts. Recently, a Weibo post titled "Tsinghua postdoctoral fellow Cao Mingxiu and her husband take on debt for education" has gained widespread attention online. Yesterday, the parties involved, Cao Mingxiu, a postdoctoral fellow in finance at Northern Jiaotong University, and her husband Huang He, gave an interview to our newspaper. To support their long-standing domestic worker training program and assist teachers at migrant workers' children schools, the couple has accumulated significant debts, owing nearly 500,000 yuan. Last week, their office was closed due to unpaid rent. By reporter Li Ying.
The current predicament involves the Rixin Wangwei Fund managed by Huang He. Established last April with a donation of 1 million yuan from then Beijing Dao Heng Company chairman Wang Wei, this fund, supported by the China Women's Development Foundation, is dedicated to the education of migrant workers' children and the training and employment support of rural domestic workers. However, shortly after its establishment, the founder Wang Wei passed away due to illness. The fund relied solely on the initial 1 million yuan investment for public welfare activities. In one year, they sponsored 120 teachers across five migrant workers' children schools in Beijing: Yuzhu, Mingxin, Dongfanghong, Huilei, and Jinbang. Each teacher received between 300 to 600 yuan per month, increasing their total salary to between 1,200 to 1,600 yuan when combined with school payments. Four schools were equipped with executive principals, experienced leaders from various regions, some of whom were retired. Each principal received a monthly subsidy of 2,000 yuan. According to Huang He, the expenses for the migrant workers' children schools alone amounted to nearly 80,000 yuan per month.
Meanwhile, Cao Mingxiu was also engaged in the "Green Heartlight" social enterprise, providing domestic service training for rural female workers to help them find employment. Their vision was to establish a sustainable social enterprise encompassing a charitable foundation, a training school, and a domestic services company, using profits to support the education of migrant workers' children. Currently, they only operate two stores in residential areas. According to their model design, expanding to five stores would ensure sustainable development. However, this plan was unexpectedly interrupted.
Facing difficulties: Repeatedly besieged by creditors
Starting from April or May this year, the fund's cash flow was cut off. "Firstly, the founder Mr. Wang Wei has passed away, so there is no subsequent funding. Secondly, this year coincides with the Guo Meimei incident. Talks about social donations have all fallen through," said Huang He. They owe four months' worth of subsidies to the teachers. Besides borrowing money from parents, relatives, and friends, without any cars or houses as collateral, Cao Mingxiu and Huang He had no choice but to borrow over 300,000 yuan from companies and individuals on the market. The interest rate was as high as 10% to 20%. "One person lent us 60,000 yuan, and after one month, we had to repay 72,000 yuan," said Huang He. With compounded interest, they now owe over 400,000 yuan.
They did consider seeking help from other charitable organizations in society. However, "they are not concerned about the teachers of migrant workers' schools and rural domestic female workers."
Cao Mingxiu wrote online: "For one and a half years, since I completed my postdoctoral studies, several groups of creditors have been chasing and blocking my home every day, even calling the police at 2 AM. I am struggling to support my child and elderly family members; it's unbearable, and I have developed sinusitis."
Last week, their office was shut down due to unpaid rent. Next week, two places where rural female workers live will also be closed. Additionally, they have other debts. In 2008, Huang He donated the Xingzhi School, which he founded himself for migrant workers' children, leaving 420,000 yuan in cash for operational costs, personally covering two months of teachers' salaries amounting to 160,000 yuan, plus 400,000 yuan in construction costs, accumulating a total debt of over 900,000 yuan. Cao Mingxiu told reporters that she used her parents' retirement funds and borrowed from relatives and friends to repay nearly 600,000 yuan, but still owes over 300,000 yuan. "Public welfare requires the attention and support of the entire society."
Responding to Doubts: They Exist Objectively
In a sense, both Huang He and Cao Mingxiu are "celebrities." Huang He was among the first to establish schools for migrant workers' children and once appeared on CCTV's "Face-to-Face." Cao Mingxiu gained public recognition as a female postdoctoral fellow working in the domestic services industry.
However, they are not understood by everyone. "If I stop now and give up, I could easily find a job with an annual salary of at least 500,000 yuan."
"Taking on debt for public welfare" has drawn criticism. Some netizens questioned why they would borrow money for charity instead of earning their own money first. Huang He faced multiple controversies regarding the closure of the Xingzhi School for migrant workers' children. Regarding the doubts raised by this incident, he told reporters that the teachers at migrant workers' children schools and rural domestic female workers represent a large population that objectively exists. "We two can stop immediately and live comfortably, but they are still out there."