Lottery winner gives away bulk of 86m yuan to charity

The kindness and generosity of two quite different individuals has captivated observers on social media.

One is a lottery winner who donated the bulk of his fortune to a charity, and the other is a scrap collector who has given a chunk of his earnings from the last 15 years to children in need.

A man, surnamed Guo, from Henan province in the country’s centre gave 53 million yuan (HK$58 million) of his 86 million yuan win to the Henan Sports Development Foundation.

“It’s not a big deal. I just feel that the amount of money is too huge. I can’t spend it all,” he said.

Guo, whose job was not divulged, has insisted on making his own money instead of using the lottery windfall to live on.

He wore a cartoon character costume that covered his face when he went to collect the winning cheque – common in China where lottery winners often conceal their identity.

He decided to keep a relatively small portion for investing in some real estate, such as flats and shops, while giving most of it to a charity.

The story sparked a heated discussion on social media.

One person said: “Wow, he is a great man.” But another wrote: “If I were the lottery winner, I wouldn’t donate so much.”

Meanwhile, Hu Lei, from Gansu province, who makes his money by collecting scrap and selling handicrafts on the street, has donated more than a million yuan during the past 15 years to help the homeschool children who cannot afford a formal education.

Hu, who had polio in his childhood, has funded about 20,000 youngsters with illnesses and conditions who would otherwise not have had an education as they could not attend school.

In a video on social media, he is seen kneeling on the ground and taking a carton of milk from a little girl who has benefited from his generosity, and who becomes emotional with gratitude.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” Hu says, touching her head to comfort her and telling her to thank her parents and teachers rather than him.

Hu grew up an orphan and said he was helped a great deal by the kindness of others.