Part 2

Host: Since you are a philanthropist, next we will talk about your charity work. What does philanthropy mean to you? And since when did you start to engage in philanthropic pursuit?

Chen: When I was nine-year-old in elementary school, I had no idea what charity was. I helped my classmates pay their tuition fees with money I earned from selling water during holidays. When I was ten, I picked up trash and sold it for money after school, and using that money, I bought bedding for one of my classmates. At the age of nine, I knew helping people could make me happy, but it wasn't until I went to middle school that I understood charity is helping people to make one happy. Charity is a great thing. If everyone does some charity and has a merciful heart, our society will become more harmonious, and the wealth gap will also be narrowed. If everyone is a philanthropist, then all of us would be environmental protectors and no one would squander, since squandering goes against charity and is shameful. So charity is a very great thing.

Premier Wen Jiabao said in the government work report that we will actively develop the charity industry and low-carbon industry, both of which I have been promoting vigorously. So as the No 1 low-carbon individual, I think I'm worthy of the title "Low Carbon Ambassador" for your website. The public will surely positively respond to my appointment, as promoting a low carbon lifestyle is equivalent to doing charity. Thrift and environmental protection both equal charity.

Host: In your previous interviews you said that you will go to Wall Street to hand out gift money with the accompaniment of a percussion team, and you want to become the world's top philanthropist. Where do these ideas come from?

Chen: Since 1997, when I was running an enterprise, I have been donating money. And in 2007 I got the title of "China's Top Philanthropist," and it occurred to me that I want to become the world's top philanthropist. I had started the endeavor long ago; I donated money to Indonesia's tsunami in 2004 and many other disasters like the Italy earthquake, Haiti earthquake and Pakistan flood. I also made donations when our country's Taiwan island was hit by typhoon Morakot. There is still no top philanthropist in the world, although there is already a world's richest man. I want to claim the title of top philanthropist. And then the richest man would be in the US, while the top philanthropist would be in China. To claim that title, you must have international influence. The standards for the top philanthropist are not about how rich you are but how much influence you have exerted. You have to engage yourself in the efforts, and after that you have to make your efforts known to the public. To judge whether a person is the top philanthropist, the standard is not how much money he or she donated or how rich the person is. As talking about personal wealth, I'm no peer to the richest guys.

The money-giving tour to US is only my future plan. If my financial situation permits, I will go there and hand out money, as charity should step across borders, nationalities, faiths and parties. Secondly, I want my future US tour to awaken those unscrupulous financiers. These financers invited in the financial crisis, leading the bankruptcies of many enterprises and the break down of many families. I want to awaken those unethical billionaires. Through awakening billionaires on Wall Street, I want to call for billionaires worldwide to think about what we should do with our wealth and what it is to live meaningful lives. I think the life span for an individual is only several decades. Shouldn't we use our lives to bring happiness to more people? Only such a life could be called meaningful. I think wealth is like water. If you have a cup of water, you can drink it; if you have a bucket of water you can put it in your house. If you own a river, you should learn to share it with others. Money means nothing. You can not bring it to your deathbed. A well-revered philanthropist is greater than a miser. So in the letter to Mr Bill Gates and Mr Buffett, I wrote that your Chinese philanthropic tour is to persuade Chinese billionaires to donate half of their money. I, Chen Guangbiao, will donate all of my money instead of half. Chen Guangbiao does not want to become a miser. He will not die with a large fortune. Everyday of our lives we should try to help others, help the poor. Only when everyone is affluent can true prosperity exist.

Every entrepreneur should thank the reform and opening up policy by the Communist Party of China. Thank the good legal order and thank the employees for their hard work; without them we could never be rich. Every dollar we earn is a contribution from the party and people, so we should give it back to the party and people. We should share the responsibility of the party and the government and solve problems for the people. It's the responsibility of every entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs should be ethical while owning large fortunes and put people and the nation first. Each one of us has three mothers. The first one is the mother who gives us life and raises us. The second one is our country; the third one is Earth. Showing gratitude to our birth mother is narrow love, and showing gratitude to our country mother and earth mother is great love. That's my personal view.

Chen Guangbiao: I'm worthy of the title 'Low Carbon Ambassador' (II)Chen Guangbiao: Mayors should focus on welfare, low-carbon economy (III)