The seventh day of the first lunar month in China is also known as "Renri," or "Everyone's Birthday." On this day every year, regions such as Guangdong and Hong Kong hold grand celebratory events according to tradition. But for 80-year-old veteran Hong Kong volunteer Chan Yue-tung, every "Renri" sees him setting a new philanthropic record—he has participated in the "Walk to Guangzhou" charity walkathon for 17 consecutive years.
On the afternoon of February 16, the Hope Primary School at Wucun Nursery in Yangshan County, Qingyuan City, Guangdong, broke its usual festive tranquility to welcome over 260 enthusiastic public welfare participants who had walked all the way from Hong Kong. They set off from downtown Shenzhen on February 12, passing through Dongguan, Guangzhou, Qingyuan, and other places, covering 200 kilometers in five days, all to fulfill the dreams of underprivileged youth on the mainland to receive an education.
Reporters at the scene observed that the majority of the Hong Kong participants were aged around 40 to 50, with the oldest being 86-year-old Lui Cheung-mou, who persevered to the finish line with the aid of a cane, while the youngest participant was just five and a half years old.
"Helping others is a big thing." This has been Chan Yue-tung’s motivation for 17 years. The elderly man said, "I feel great now, even more so than when I first participated over ten years ago—I find walking easier. Walking allows me to relive the feeling of my youth." Chan emphasized that he is currently stepping up his exercise routine, hoping to maintain his condition and continue participating in the activity to help rewrite the future of children in mountainous regions.
A retired Norwegian couple, over 60 years old—Oskar and Tao Hua—heard about the charity event and specially traveled from Norway to Hong Kong to take part.
"When I heard about this activity, I thought it was very meaningful. It's also the first time I’ve walked such a long distance to raise funds for a school, and the first time I’ve ventured deep into China's mountainous areas to experience the local culture and customs," said Oskar. He mentioned that such forms of charity activities are rare in Norway, and seeing the children’s innocent smiles upon arriving at the school made the trip worthwhile.
The endpoint of this year’s "Walk to Guangzhou" activity was set at the Hope Primary School at Wucun Nursery in Yangshan County, Qingyuan City. This school is the first educational support project funded by "Walk to Guangzhou" in Guangdong, hence the organizers also themed the event "Back to the Source of the School."
In 1993, Hong Kong Action for Primary Education (APA) joined hands with the Guangdong Youth Development Foundation to launch the "Walk to Guangzhou" charity walkathon. It organized Hong Kong citizens to depart from Hong Kong on the third day of the Lunar New Year, walking for five days to reach the final destination of Guangzhou, aiming to raise funds for underprivileged youth on the mainland and support charitable causes for youth.
According to the event’s initiator and veteran Hong Kong volunteer Cheung Kwan-hing, one important reason for choosing to walk and show love was to allow more Hong Kong people to experience the daily hardship of mainland students who walk over ten kilometers just to attend school.
Over 20 years, the "Walk to Guangzhou" event has become a model project of cross-border charity collaboration between Guangdong and Hong Kong. This fundraising method has gained widespread popularity among caring individuals from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and beyond. Each year, a large number of compassionate walkers like Chan Yue-tung persevere through walking nearly 200 kilometers during the Lunar New Year period, regardless of wind or rain, to experience the determination of schoolchildren in China’s impoverished and remote areas who walk to school every day. During this time, over 4,500 participants have taken part, raising more than 74 million Hong Kong dollars in charitable donations.