Bai Fang Li

There are a certain kind of people who seem to govern from a different plane of kindness and generosity, a plane which some of us can never reach. Not because we aren't kind or generous, but perhaps because we just aren't made from the same earth as they are. Most of these people aren't as talked about as they deserve. I want to talk about one such person - Bai Fung Li.

Bai Fung Li had the back-breaking job of a trishaw peddler. In 1987, at the age of 74, he decided to retire from his job. But when he returned to his hometown to live out his retirement, he happened to come across a group of small kids working in a field. He found out that the children were too poor to afford an education and so, they had to resort to labour.

Disturbed by this, Bai first donated 5000 yuan to the schools in his hometown. For a tricycle peddler, that is a huge chunk out of his savings (INR 51,164 in today's conversion). Then Bai did the unthinkable for many. He went back to trishaw peddling in the Tianjin province and continued donating his meager earnings to fund children's education.

Bai Fung Li eventually moved to a simple room near the Tianjin railway station so he could make more money. He sometimes waited on customers 24 hours at a stretch and wore discarded, unmatching clothes and ate simple food for 2 decades to save more so he could donate more. All this to help children get education and build their dreams.

In 2001, he drove his rickshaw to Tianjin YaoHua Middle School to donate his last installment and announced that he could not work any longer. He was 90 years old. Needless to say, students and teachers alike were moved to tears.
Bai had donated 350,000 yuan in all to help more than 300 students. That is 300 lives he helped build.

Bai fung Li died of lung cancer at the age of 93 in 2005. Hundreds turned up for his funeral. He left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. For no reason, I am remembering Bai Fung Li today. Maybe that is the best reason of all.

 

@Arunarc: It is true that there are hundreds of people like Bai Fung Li and they are the unsung heroes of our society. And you are right. There is no retirement when it comes to contributing to the society for it is betterment.

 

@knbg: Thank you, Bhargavi

 

@Satchitananda: I am glad you liked the story. I just wanted more people to know Bai.

 

@viswamitra: He really is an inspiration not just for people on the verge of retirement but for young ones like us too. Money is an illusion which makes us believe that it is to be used to buy materialistic things to satiate our egos. But people like Bai Fung Li make us see the real purpose of money. When the whole world is trying to get you to be driven with money and power, people like Bai Fung Li make me feel grounded.