Support group shows the better side of human nature

The attack on Guo Bin shocked China and led many observers to lament the “moral decline” in the country.

In its wake, 160 socially conscious people formed a support group on the instantmessaging platform QQ .

One member, who preferred to be known only by his surname, Guo, was in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, when he heard the news. At the time, he was working 11 hours a day at an electronics factory, making about 3,000 yuan ($450) a month.

“I felt terrible. Thoughts of the little boy often came into my mind. He was so young, but he suffered so much,” said the 30-year-old, who donated 200 yuan to Guo Bin’s parents via the internet.

As Guo followed the news, he discovered the QQ group. “I was the only group member in Shenzhen. When Guo Bin came to Shenzhen for treatment in September 2013, I visited him once on my own, and also invited other people to meet him. I wasn’t making much money, but I was able to arouse the attention of other people who could help,” he said.

Having heard about the assistance Guo had provided, a member called Wang Haiqing sent him 1,000 yuan so he could visit the blind schoolboy.

Before Guo Bin arrived in Beijing to attend a school for the blind at the start of 2014, Wang, a Beijing resident, visited the school on behalf of the family. He also provided them with free lodgings for more than three months.

“We donated up to 5,000 yuan a month to the family for about a year. Some people con- tinued to donate, although later the amounts got smaller,” Wang said.

“We invited Guo Bin’s mother to join the group. The media didn’t report on the case all the time, but we got to know the latest news from his mother, who sometimes uploaded photos,” the 43-year-old said.

“I don’t often help strangers because I’m afraid of being cheated, but I managed to get to know the boy and his family. I hope I did something good.”

Other members of the group visited Guo Bin’s family when they arrived in Wuhan. Zhou Li from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and four other members — from the provinces of Yunnan and Zhejiang, and Chongqing municipality— visited the family on July 17, 2014.

Li, a 26-year-old warehouse worker, said she will visit Guo Bin again, and she will take her 5-year-old son along. “Guo is a good boy. I hope he is happy all the time,” she said.

number of members of a support group for Guo Bin on the instantmessaging platform QQ