Cart-pulling man hikes thousands of miles to raise ten thousand yuan for underprivileged children.
Yesterday morning, Yan Jiaman, known as the “Cart-pulling Man” and hailed as a “Good Samaritan of China,” who had just returned to Wuhan from Shanghai and resides in Ruanjiatai Community, Hanshuiqiao Street, XZkou District, visited Han Yi Community in Hanshuiqiao Street to donate 1,000 yuan to Yang Qinglong, a student from a disadvantaged family in Class 4(4) of Changzheng Primary School.
From August 20 to September 19, Yan Jiaman pulled a cart along national highways, starting from Hefei, Anhui, and hiking over a thousand kilometers through ten cities—Hefei, Chaohu, Ma’anshan, Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Danyang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Shanghai—to raise 10,500 yuan for underprivileged children. He has already donated 1,500 yuan, with the remainder to be given out soon.
Bought a cart in Hefei, ate and slept on the vehicle
On August 20, at the old municipal square in Hefei, Anhui, a man wearing a cowboy hat, half-cut jeans, a thick beard, and pulling a cart caught the attention of passersby. He was Yan Jiaman, Wuhan’s “Cart-pulling Man” who became an internet sensation last year.
On June 10 last year, a set of photos of Yan Jiaman, the “Cart-pulling Man” from Han Zheng Street, was posted online, attracting numerous fans and prompting netizens to exclaim, “Real-life hunks exist—they put ‘Sharp Brother’ to shame.” Moreover, Yan Jiaman is often seen doing good deeds, helping others and standing up for justice. Earlier this year, the Central Civilization Office awarded him the honorary title of “Good Samaritan of China.”
On August 16, Yan Jiaman took a train to Hefei without telling his family. He spent over 1,000 yuan to buy a cart, added a canopy to it, and printed his photo and a message on it, calling on kind-hearted people to care for underprivileged children. On the morning of August 20, Yan Jiaman appeared at the old municipal square in Hefei, kicking off his fundraising hike.
Yan Jiaman ate and slept on the cart every day. He bought 20 steamed buns at once, eating two or three per meal, and drank mineral water gifted by well-wishers. “At first I didn’t travel at night, but it got too hot inside the cart, and there were too many mosquitoes—I couldn’t sleep,” he said. After leaving Hefei, he started hauling the cart at night, resting on it at 6 a.m. when reaching towns, then setting up his donation booth in crowded areas around 9 a.m. Each night he walked over 30 kilometers, staying in each city for one to three days.
Girl donates 100 yuan and treats him to pizza
At Changzhou Canal No. 5 Creative Block, a girl who had just donated 100 yuan learned that Yan Jiaman ate steamed buns for every meal and specially treated him to pizza. The owner of a nearby bar, Mr. Yuan, heard about it and invited Yan Jiaman to the bar. He not only donated 500 yuan himself but also motivated the staff and customers to contribute, raising over 3,000 yuan in one go. In Suzhou, one early morning, Yan Jiaman was sleeping on the cart when he was woken up by a young man on a motorcycle. Thinking it was a robbery, he later realized the man wanted to donate 300 yuan. “I was scared at first, then just laughed foolishly. I never expected someone to donate in the middle of the night,” Yan Jiaman reflected, adding that there are still more good people than bad in society.
“Walking is hard, but the hardest part is not having a place to shower—I had to look for ponds everywhere,” Yan Jiaman said, pointing to the blisters on his feet. He went through three pairs of sneakers and wore out two sets of inner and outer tires on the cart within a month. Upon arriving in Shanghai, he sold the cart and returned to Wuhan with the donations.
Plans to set off again after National Day
“Last year when my child’s tuition was due, I couldn’t gather enough money and had to borrow from others. That feeling was truly terrible!” Yan Jiaman has two daughters, both currently studying at Jianghan University. He deeply understands the difficulties underprivileged children face in pursuing education. He said this fundraising hike was his way of contributing his modest effort to help these children.
Of the 10,500 yuan raised this time, Yan Jiaman plans to donate it all to underprivileged students in Hanshuiqiao Street. After returning to Wuhan, he donated 500 yuan to an underprivileged elementary school student in Han Yi Community. The 1,000 yuan donated to Yang Qinglong also has a story behind it—on an evening in November last year, Yan Jiaman passed by the Pacific overpass on Jiefang Avenue and saw Yang Qinglong picking up empty mineral water bottles with his mother. He wrote down the boy’s name and class in a small notebook.
“The results of this fundraising drive were great, and I feel really good about it. I plan to set off again after National Day,” Yan Jiaman revealed, adding that next time he intends to head south to Hunan and Guangdong to continue fundraising.