[China] Imagining an end to poverty

From The Shanghai Daily

"SHUN Qi Zi Ran" — "or Let It Be" — is a household name in Ningbo, but it is also a major mystery.

Someone using the name has donated about 1 million yuan (US$124,000) to the charity federation in the Zhejiang Province port city over the past seven years. And despite many efforts to track down the mystery donor, no one knows who he or she is.

"Some post office staff recall that a woman remitted a large sum of money to the charity federation with the name Let It Be, but sometimes it was a man," said Xiang Bingyan, director of the city's charity federation.

The latest donation was made in December. As with the others, it was posted from a false address.

In addition to giving cash to the federation, Let It Be has also helped other people in need.

New organizations reported that the donor sent 3,000 yuan to Zhu Junhua, a migrant worker from Jiangxi Province whose father was injured in a traffic accident; 5,000 yuan to Zhou Ming, a student at a Ningbo school for the hearing- and speech-impaired who needed a brain operation; 10,000 yuan to Wu Fangyu, a 9-year-old in Fenghua City near Ningbo who suffers from leukemia; and 20,000 yuan to the local Red Cross for a bone marrow bank.

Let It Be entered the spotlight after donating 200,000 yuan and asking the charity federation to build a primary school in a poor village.

"The charity federation chose a village in the Siming Mountains in Liangnong Township of Yuyao City," said Xiang.

The school was named Renci School, which means "mercy" or "kindness" in English. Shuttle buses were also provided for children in nearby villages.

Hoping to express their gratitude to the unknown donor, the teachers and students invited Let It Be to participate in the school's opening ceremony.

The donor responded, but only with a short letter saying, "Thanks for all the work you have done."

"She doesn't want fame or to be noticed. We should respect her and stop searching for her," Xiang said.

The mysterious donations have inspired other acts of kindness in the booming coastal city.

A 68-year-old woman retiree from Ninghai County donated 10,000 yuan to the city's charity federation. And a young couple gave 26,000 yuan — all in the name of Let It Be.