China News Service, Shanghai, February 2 (Reporter Fan Yubin) The New Year of the Year of the Dragon is approaching. Dong Shuzhen, a 68-year-old British Taiwanese businessman, honorary director of the China Overseas Friendship Association, and chairman of Shanghai Biaoheng Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., accepted the speech of China News Service in Shanghai. In an exclusive interview with an online reporter, he said with emotion, "Time is fair to everyone. I am determined to become a useful person to society and have no regrets in my philanthropic life."
Dong Shuzhen was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and her family was poor since she was a child. "When I was young, I experienced a lot of hardships. I am successful now because I never gave up studying. At that time, no matter how difficult it was, I worked during the day and went to night school for 5 hours in the evening. In order to Saving tuition, relying on others, and suffering." Dong Shuzhen told reporters that it is precisely because of this experience that she can better understand the hardships of poor students and their desire to change their destiny.
Later, Dong Shuzhen started a business and became rich. When she was 19 years old, she paired up to sponsor three orphans to go to school. Later, she also started to rescue stray dogs. Since 2003, Dong Shuzhen has been supporting poor out-of-school children in Jiangxi. Over the past 21 years, Dong Shuzhen has dedicated all her entrepreneurial income to charity. She has donated more than 90 million yuan in 14 provinces including Jiangxi, Sichuan, Henan, Anhui, and Shanghai, and has helped needy students with more than 1.6 million yuan. Wan Ming, is affectionately called "Mama Dong" by people.
Recently, Dong Shuzhen accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Network in Shanghai. Photo by Fan Yubin
"In my life dictionary, I always move in four directions, that is, 'hope + action + hard work + persistence = success'." Dong Shuzhen believes that winning wealth in one's life is not considered rich, only knowing how to be grateful, Only by helping the disadvantaged groups in need that you see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and touch with your fingers can you truly gain wealth. It is a kind of spiritual wealth and true joy.
In 2016, Dong Shuzhen got lung cancer. In 2020, Dong Shuzhen donated money to establish the "Dong Mama Fund" to help poor college students. She said that the wealth gained from society must be returned to society, so that even if Mother Dong is gone in the future, the love of the "Mother Dong Fund" will continue.
In recent years, Dong Shuzhen has spent a long time in mainland China every year, visiting remote mountain villages in the north and south of the Yangtze River, communicating face-to-face with the sponsored students, and answering questions. She said: "My donation to support education is not just a donation of money, but also a donation of ambition and strength. I hope the recipient students will be inspired to take action."
Among the students Dong Shuzhen supports, many of them make her feel gratified. "When they are admitted to university or graduate school, they will write to me. Some children know that I am from Taiwan, and they even write in traditional Chinese to tell me, 'Mother Dong, I have been admitted to university, thank you.' These letters also support me. I will carry my philanthropy to the end.”
In September 2023, Dong Shuzhen won the 12th "China Charity Award". Photo provided by interviewee
In 2023, Dong Shuzhen won the 12th "China Charity Award". In Dong Shuzhen's view, this is the highest affirmation of her philanthropic life. "Most of the money I earn is donated, so I am determined to become a useful person to society."
More than ten years ago, Dong Shuzhen worked as a volunteer at Tianlin Nursing Home in Xuhui District, Shanghai. When she helped an old man go to the toilet, the old man sighed, "We are useless." "This sentence woke me up. I insist on doing charity just to be a useful person to society." Dong Shuzhen told reporters that she hopes that she can still be useful to society until the last moment of her life.
Talking about the road of life, Dong Shuzhen said, "When we lose something, it is not the end of life, but we should see what we have and encourage ourselves to keep moving forward." She also revealed that she has made a will , will donate all the property in mainland China to charitable organizations to help the elderly, school children and animal protection associations in need.
"To this day, I can't take anything away with me. 'Kindness' will be my last epitaph." Dong Shuzhen said. (over)