the power of vegetables to change lives

China Post editorial:

Taiwan was headline news throughout Asia Friday, when one local person was spotlighted from among the 48 announced by Forbes Asia on its list of “the region's most prominent altruists.”

Was this giver a beneficiary of Taiwan's earlier economic boom who, in old age, finding he has more money than he will ever spend, decided to give some of it away? Or was she the daughter of one of Taiwan's super-rich families who, bucking the trend, wanted to share her wealth with those from less fortunate backgrounds? Or a pop or film star, perhaps, who, growing tired of the endless round of parties, found real meaning in helping others? Or a gangster, even, who having damaged countless lives to feather his own nest, was filled with remorse or religiosity and so turned his back on his former self-serving habits?

In fact, the honored altruist is none of these. She is 59-year-old Chen Shu-chu, a vegetable seller at the Central Market in Taitung, where she has worked since 1963, having left school at 13 to support her seven-member family following the death of her mother.

Despite her meager income, by living a simple life, over recent years she even managed to save some money. Rather than treating herself to something special after her years of toil, however, in 2004 she donated NT$1 million to a children's fund. In 2005, this was followed by NT$4.5 million to help build a library at the primary school she had attended, and in 2006 another NT$1 million for an orphanage. She has since continued to give annual aid to three children from this organization, but apparently her target is to establish a NT$10-million fund to “help the poor with food, education and healthcare.”

Chen's concerns were typical of the 48 donors, Forbes stated. Causes supported ranged from disaster recovery and health, to culture and science, but education was the most popular choice among the featured philanthropists. Moreover, going against the current of those who use the recent economic downturn as an excuse to cut back on charitable donations, the magazine said that the last year had been a good one for philanthropy, with tycoons and modest donors continuing to fund charitable projects.

Chen Shu-chu's story made headlines around Asia, from Singapore's Straits Times — despite that country having four of its own citizens on Forbes' list — to Australia, where 101-year-old Elisabeth Murdoch, mother of News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch, was also honored.

Chen was not among the largest donors, of course. But as Forbes Asia associate editor John Koppisch explained, the magazine aimed to highlight a varied group of generous people. In particular, inclusion of the name of 44-year-old Singaporean clothing retailer Elim Chew on the list - who Forbes says devotes most of her spare time to philanthropy - shows that the spirit of giving is not limited to a financial definition.

Not all those honored were humble donors or faceless tycoons, however. Among the more recognizable names were those of Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan and Chinese basketball player Yao Ming.

Nevertheless, it was Taiwan's Chen that journalists from around the region sought to interview as news broke on Friday. As usual, she was easy to find, being hard at work selling vegetables at Taitung's market.

She was also typically humble. “What I donated was a small sum; it's nothing,” she told the Straits Times, which also quoted her as saying, “Money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it.”

When a China Times reporter interviewed her, Chen asked back, “What award is that?” She continued this theme when pressed by other local reporters. “Helping people is nothing. Anyone can do it,” she told them. “There isn't much to talk about.” She needed little money to live, she said, and would always have vegetables to eat.

Her philosophy is shared by the three other Taiwanese on this year's list — National Taipei University professor and entrepreneur Thomas Lin, San Francisco-based developer Pan Shu-yuen, and Cathay Financial Holding Chairman Tsai Hong-tu — who were even more reticent

Theirs is an honorable attitude that puts to shame some celebrities for whom charity is merely PR, or corporations for whom donations must be tax-deductible. Giving is natural for these people, a natural response when witnessing the plight of others, be it Tsai's donation to post-Typhoon Morakot relief efforts, Pan's donation to his Taiwan alma mater, or Lin's hundreds of millions donated over three decades.

Few people are too poor to have nothing spare to give, and all can learn something from Chen's simple lifestyle in which little of her income is spent on personal luxuries. In an age were too few people do something for nothing, and everyone focuses on what can be got and not on what can be given, Chen is a model for all.