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This Beijing senior's life did not consist of one world-shaking feat. Rather, it is the collection of all her good deeds that make the difference. Gao Qingxian may not have reinvented the wheel, but her kindness of heart passionately touches the people she helps, proof that one does not need to be a genius to change lives.
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Gao Qingxian writing in her diary. [Photos/bjby.bjwmb.gov.cn] |
Gao's childhood did not prove to be easy. It was difficult enough to attend school, and even harder to pay for it. She only pulled it through with financial aid.
Her heartwarming love for other people motivated her to make monthly donations to special classes for the deaf and mute.
These started back in 1998, where the average income was 8,472 yuan ($1,366). Gao chose to donate 200 yuan per month, which was hardly a trivial amount for a family in those days.
They ran a milk store downstairs, selling one bag for 0.5 yuan. They were originally bought for 0.38 yuan. A quick calculations shows that one would have to sell about 1,666 bags of milk a month to make up for the donation.
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Gao and her husband |
But Gao continued – and is still doing so. She'd keep a jar on the table, and on the 12th of each month, send it all off.
This is only one of the many good deeds Gao has done in her life.
In November 1998, she heard word of a farmer in Heilongjiang. Li Zhangfu was blind in both eyes, with a mentally disabled wife and young children. He had suffered through the worst floods and faced calamities one would flinch hearing about.
With the support of Gao's entire family, she also began donating 200 yuan to Li's cause.
Gao keeps all her donation receipts, as a legacy to pass on to the next generation. “I want them to remember to do good too.”
This kind donator's list of deeds can stretch on for miles, but one other thing that makes her stand out is her pureness of heart, seeking only happiness for others and herself. When making her donations, she did not put down her real name – but went under a pseudonym.
"The life I've lived may not have been full of physical material, but I've had a very rich spiritual life doing all this,” said Gao. “My happiness is unlimited.”
Edited by Wang Zili
