Old Chen said that good tea is expensive these days, and he was afraid poor families would use it to thank him, so when he’s thirsty, he drinks from his own military-style water bottle.
Reason for being moved: An old, worn bicycle, a faded military water bottle, and an old leather bag wrapped in plastic. Ever since retiring in June 2005, Chen Qianshui has carried these three "treasures" deep into the rural areas of Hui’an County in Quanzhou, never stopping his efforts to alleviate poverty and help the disabled, no matter how fierce the storms or how important the holidays.
In this way, over 7 years, the 68-year-old Chen Qianshui cycled more than 80,000 km, visiting every administrative village in Hui’an County. Of the county’s 18,000 disabled people, he visited 16,000. Thanks to his efforts, he raised millions of yuan in funding, supported over 5,000 impoverished disabled individuals, and even taught himself basic cataract screening methods, helping 2,000 people regain their sight.
More than 330 days a year
Traveling around to alleviate poverty and help the disabled
Chen Qianshui is very busy; several times he was asked to meet but said he was out in the villages. After finally arranging a meeting, the reporter followed him for a day to see just how busy he is.
At just after 6 a.m., as the sky began to brighten, Old Chen set off with his three trusted "treasures" of many years. "The water bottle is for drinking water while out in the villages, and this bicycle is how I get around." On the national highway, the cold wind blew through Old Chen’s graying hair. After cycling for over an hour, he arrived at Huangtang Town, more than 10 km away. Near the entrance to the village, he stopped to catch his breath, saying he didn’t want the families he was visiting to see him tired. "I’m old, not what I used to be."
In 1988, Old Chen transferred from the military to become director of the Hui’an County Old Revolutionary Base Areas Office and deputy head of the Civil Affairs Bureau, later serving as a council member of the county’s Disabled Persons’ Federation. "This life was meant for the cause of alleviating poverty and helping the disabled." While working, Old Chen set himself three "no’s" for his village visits: no eating without paying for meals, no accepting hospitality, and no accepting gifts. He ate the same food as the villagers—often sweet potato congee with pickled vegetables—and paid 2 yuan per meal. If he drank a bottle of water, he paid an additional 20 fen for firewood. He slept on wooden plank beds in villagers’ homes. Over the years, as rural life improved and Old Chen aged, many village officials asked him to eat at the village committee when he visited. Out of consideration, he stopped eating in villagers’ homes and instead went to small eateries at the village entrances, solving the meal with a bowl of sweet potato congee and a plate of greens. "The disabled families I want to help are struggling, and I can’t add any trouble for them."
For over 10 years, Old Chen only took about 10 days off. Including overtime, he worked the equivalent of more than two years each year. In June 2005, when Old Chen received notice to retire, the workaholic was actually a bit lost. His family urged him, who suffered from illness, to enjoy a quiet retirement at home. "I just kept thinking about those disabled people I’d been taking care of for over 10 years. I’d grown attached to them, and I couldn’t let them go."
Within a few days, Old Chen took out his three "treasures" again and continued his mission of poverty alleviation and disability support, even working harder than before. The reporter saw that Old Chen had made himself an "attendance" sheet, noting down where he went each day, whom he visited, and how many kilometers he traveled round trip. The reporter calculated that in 2006, Old Chen was in the villages for 352 days; in 2007, 341 days; in 2008, 343 days; in 2009, 335 days; in 2010, 334 days; in 2011, 339 days...
Applying for subsidies and providing transportation back and forth
Helping 2,000 cataract patients regain their sight
Upon arriving at the first villager’s home, Old Chen got straight to work, using a flashlight to check the vision of 80-year-old Grandma Huang. "I can see, I can see!" Grandma Huang said happily. Several years ago, she lost her sight due to cataracts but couldn’t afford surgery because her family was poor. "Thank goodness Old Chen came. He said I could get free surgery, even ran to get the forms for me, and took me to the hospital. Now I can see my children and grandchildren with one eye. I want to live a few more years."
Old Chen said that in rural areas, many people lose their ability to live normally due to congenital or acquired cataracts but can’t afford treatment because of financial hardship. In early 2007, he learned that the province was implementing a "Light Action" program to provide free cataract surgery for impoverished patients. "I had a new mission—helping them see the light." Later, Old Chen found that cataract patients first had to go to county hospitals for checks to confirm they were eligible for surgery, then get certificates from their villages or towns, and then get approval and stamps from the county Disabled Persons’ Federation. The procedures were complicated. "Many people didn’t know how to handle it, so I helped deliver the forms and handle the procedures." To better assist these villagers, Old Chen even taught himself how to identify cataracts, providing a full range of services for each impoverished cataract patient, including handling procedures, transportation, arranging surgery, post-operative care, and applying for subsidies. Over the years, he has helped 2,000 impoverished cataract patients regain their sight.
In Old Chen’s old leather bag are stacks of case files on impoverished cataract patients, detailing each patient’s situation. "I know when they can have surgery," Old Chen said. Last year alone, he helped over 420 impoverished cataract patients regain their sight through free surgery. "After regaining their sight, many can support themselves and even improve their families’ lives. Poverty alleviation and disability support work is just like that—helping one person is helping an entire family."
After setting a date with Grandma Huang to perform surgery on her other eye after the New Year, Old Chen hurried off to the next home. But Grandma Huang’s family wouldn’t let him go. "You’ve come three or four times and haven’t even had a cup of hot tea. We feel bad." Old Chen took a big swig from his military water bottle, smiled, and waved his hand. "Save the money and buy the old lady something tasty."
Changing from giving money and grain to providing seedlings
Helping the disabled escape poverty and achieve prosperity
At around 2 p.m., Old Chen quickly ate lunch by the roadside. The reporter was already feeling a bit exhausted, but he said he still had a few more homes to visit in the afternoon. "I’m used to it."
Along the way, the reporter heard many stories about Old Chen from the villagers. One Spring Festival, while visiting, Old Chen heard about a villager with disabilities in both legs whose lower legs had been festering with pus for a long time, and his relatives refused to take care of him. When he found the disabled man’s home and saw his legs, which were rotting to the bone, Old Chen immediately pooled money to take him to the hospital for an amputation. When he was discharged, Old Chen borrowed a car to bring him back and even carried him into his home. To help the wounds heal faster, Old Chen went to the county market early every morning to buy live perch, then cycled more than 20 km to deliver them to the man’s home. One morning, the man’s relative saw the sweaty Old Chen cycling over with fish and burst into tears, promising to take good care of her disabled family member. Months later, Old Chen applied for rehabilitation funds from the county, sent the man to a prosthetic factory in the province to get artificial limbs, and then helped him buy lambs and chicks. Today, the man is able to make a living through breeding.
Many struggling families and disabled individuals have no source of income, and sporadic, limited subsidies aren’t enough. Old Chen launched a "micro-poverty alleviation" plan, shifting from simply providing relief money and grain to disabled and impoverished families to giving them free poultry and livestock seedlings to help develop breeding and planting industries. With the help of local philanthropic businesses, many impoverished disabled individuals and families have embarked on the path to prosperity.
After retiring, Chen Qianshui still insists on taking out part of his modest pension to buy sheep, cattle, pigs, and other livestock to give to struggling people and disabled individuals for breeding. He also tries every means to raise funds from society to expand the "blood-making" project. "Every time I sit in the truck bed full of livestock seedlings, even though it’s dirty and smelly, I’m especially happy—there’s hope for a few more families."
Recording the situations of tens of thousands of disabled individuals
Notebooks stacked half a meter high
It wasn’t until after 6 p.m. that Old Chen returned to his home in the county town. The odometer in the interview car showed over 80 km. "The most I’ve done in a day is over 100 km."
His wife, who was cooking, said that once during a typhoon, with wind and rain lashing, Old Chen hadn’t come home late at night. After several unanswered phone calls, the whole family was in a panic until he finally bicycled home against the wind and rain after 1 a.m. It turned out that Old Chen still had several homes to visit that afternoon. The village officials, seeing how heavy the rain was and how late it was getting dark, urged him to choose a sunny day instead, but he insisted on going. It was already midnight by the time he finished visiting those disabled families. At Old Chen’s home, there are stacks of notebooks half a meter high, recording the situations of tens of thousands of disabled individuals he has learned about over the years. "Help a little where you can." And every time he visits, Old Chen leaves his phone number with the villagers, hoping more struggling families and disabled individuals in need will find him. As a result, his phone is almost never idle. And when bringing kind-hearted people to these families for condolences and donations, Old Chen also invites local village cadres. Gradually, grassroots rural organizations have started to play a role, paying attention to and participating in poverty alleviation and disability support work.