Zhao Xianjian's office walls are covered with photos of him and his "backpacking friends" on aid trips to various places.
Zhao Xianjian, 41, is the owner of an eyeglass shop in Shiyan Subdistrict and an experienced "backpacker." Six years ago, he began his journey in education aid, and has since mobilized over 300 backpackers and netizens to join the effort, with the number of aided students reaching more than 700. Because of this, Zhao has become a well-known "loving backpacker" in the area.
Several years ago, Zhao Xianjian met many like-minded "backpackers" on online forums. In 2006, a backpacker named "Ranwu Lake" posted a message on the forum seeking donations of books and clothing. It turned out that "Ranwu Lake" was preparing to return to his hometown in Guizhou and hoped to do something for the impoverished children there. This post caught the attention of many "backpackers" on the forum. Zhao Xianjian and some others decided, out of curiosity, to personally deliver the items they had intended to donate. They traveled to Zhulin Primary School in Zongdi Township, Ziyun County, Anshun District, Guizhou Province, under the guidance of "Ranwu Lake." Upon seeing the conditions at Zhulin Primary School, Zhao Xianjian and the other backpackers were deeply moved. The school was a thatched shed with drafts coming through everywhere; no classroom had intact walls. Two classrooms were merely separated by a few wooden sticks, and some were on the verge of collapse. Many students had to walk to school in the dark, holding torches, ate moldy corn leftovers for lunch, and drank rainwater collected in cisterns.
Deeply moved, Zhao Xianjian embarked on the path of charitable education aid. After returning from Guizhou, he reflected on what he had seen and decided to use outdoor forums to organize more activities, encouraging more people to help students in impoverished mountainous regions. He created a public welfare column on the forum and contacted many friends passionate about public service to organize donation drives. Later, a German-educated Ph.D. joined Zhao’s team, and together they founded the "China Folk Education Aid Network," vowing to continue their charitable mission. "We're not just raising money and materials—we’re also exploring and researching better models for charitable giving," said Zhao. To enhance transparency in fund usage, Zhao’s fundraising activities do not accept cash. He provides the real-name bank accounts of eligible students to potential donors to ensure that every donation reaches the students in need. Many generous individuals, wanting to avoid hassle, directly gave money to Zhao. After discussions, Zhao and others set up a dedicated charity account, supervised by lawyers and accounting firms. At the end of each year, every transaction in the account is disclosed to the donors, and each aided student is asked to send back a signed letter confirming receipt, ensuring both transparency and credibility in the donation process.
Starting in 2009, Zhao Xianjian and his backpacker friends shifted their focus to sponsoring high school students. Over the past three years, they have supported 300 high school students, among whom more than 60 have been admitted to universities—including prestigious ones like Wuhan University.
"Being able to nurture such outstanding children brings us all involved in this charitable support immense joy and pride. We hope to see even more students get into university, and into top-tier universities," Zhao told reporters as he showed them a list of students who have been admitted to college over the years. He said this list is his report card.
Synchronized to youmezz's Weibo