American dreamer in China

Kenneth E. Behring was wealthy and successful in his home country, but it was in China that he found the true meaning of life. [Photo/China Daily]

"You sent me love and blessings with your wheelchair. Sitting on the wheelchair, I went to the UK and achieved my dream," Xie wrote in his letter to Behring.

Since 1997, Behring has donated to the Washington-based Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and helped the reconstruction of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Since 2003, Behring has donated stuffed animal specimens to museums in dozen of cities across China, including Beijing, Dalian and Tianjin.

The wheelchair donation is only a part of Behring's philanthropy efforts in China.

Behring founded the annual Global Natural History Day Competition in 2012 to inspire children to tackle the world's problems.

It is the third year of the event held in China which has the theme of encouraging students to understand the importance of sustainable development. Later this month the global final will be held in Chongqing.

Behring also has started a safe drinking water project in northwestern China together with local governments, which aims to help eliminate waterborne diseases and impurities by carrying out feasibility studies and purchasing water purification systems.