Jack Ma’s recent coming out celebration on the New York Stock Exchange, floating Alibaba at an estimated US$25 billion, has made him the wealthiest person on the Chinese mainland. He, along with a handful of China’s uber-rich, have the potential to use their vast sums of money for charitable causes. They are the Gates’, Buffets’, and Soros’ of the East.
While these star philanthropists garner well-deserved attention for their work, there are many more low-profile people working behind the scenes to impact China’s public sector. These players may not have the capital of people like Jack Ma, but they do have an equal passion for making this a better world. This series, Profiles in Responsibility, gives these passionate folks a wider voice.
Recently interviewed by the BBC, Taiwanese vegetable seller Chen Shu Chu lives by the mantra that “…the most important thing is how you spend your money not how much you earn.” The 63 year old has donated 10 million Taiwanese dollars over the past 20 years.