Controversial Chen Guangbiao helps in Sichuan

Chen Guangbiao, one of China's most well-known entrepreneurs and a controversial philanthropist, has arrived at the epicenter in Sichuan province for earthquake relief efforts and is organizing 13 big machines to repair roads linking Ya'an and nearby counties.

According to his assistant Qiao Jun, Chen, CEO of Huangpu Renewable Resources, took an aircraft to Sichuan on Saturday from East China's Jiangxi province and organized a fleet of bulldozers, excavators and cranes to the disaster-hit zone.

About 2:30 pm on Saturday, Chen was helping repair roads as landslides caused by the 7.0-magnitude quake cut off traffic to the hardest-hit counties of Lushan, Baoxing and Tianquan.

In an interview en route, Chen said that he had seen many collapsed houses and huge damage to public facilities, and that tents, drinking water, food and torches are urgently needed.

Chen said he has sent people to buy 500 torches, 1,000 quilts, 1 metric ton of bread and 20 tons of bottled water for disaster relief.

At his instructions, a second rescue team of about 20 members, all veteran rescuers, were heading for Ya'an with equipment such as life detection instruments.

Chen, 44, is famous for his high-profile but questionably motivated charity drive.

He became known as a big giver after the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, when he spent 54 days in the quake-hit zone and donated more than 100 million yuan ($16 million) for post-quake construction.