A nationalistic philanthropist has donated Chinese cars to those whose Japanese models were smashed.
Eccentric billionaire, Chen Guangbiao, spent 5 million yuan ($799,000) of his personal wealth to buy 43 car owners Chinese replacements for their damaged Japanese models. Dressed head-to-toe in green, the charismatic Chen handed over the keys to brand new Geely Emgrand EC8s and EC7s on the site, each with a market value of 128,000 yuan ($20,500).
In return, Chen only asked the participants to wear a green hat, which in Chinese folklore suggests a cuckolded husband (implying the owners shouldn't have strayed and bought Japanese cars.) Nonetheless, the new owners seemed delighted with their Chinese-made cars and were happy to watch the ebullient entrepreneur perform bicycle tricks and sing songs for a few hours on a Wednesday afternoon.
Chen's company, Huangpu Renewable Resources, recycles waste materials from the construction industry and has allowed him to amass a $440 million fortune over the years. After a recent visit from American philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, however, Chen decided to pledge all of his money to charity after he dies – an unconventional gesture in a nation where such sizable charitable donations are rare.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Chen espoused his philosophy on the relationship between business and charity saying, “if you have only a glass of water then one person can drink. If you have a bucket a whole family can benefit. If you have a river”, he adds, “then you can share it with everyone.”