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Girl sold herself for mom: Dilemma of Internet charity
(Southern Metropolis Daily/zonaeu)
Updated: 2005-11-07 09:39 The reporter went to the Xinqiao Hospital, which is not faraway from the
Southwestern Hospital, to visit the Zhou family. The Zhou Anhua is slightly
introverted and the father Zhou Dajiang had rough and dark skin, and somewhat
inarticulate. Zhou Dajiang has colon cancer and coronary heart disease. While
the father was being treated, Zhou Anhua was also diagnosed with a malignant
lymphoid tumor.
Considering that the family only has about 700 yuan in income, Zhou Dajiang
forsook his own treatment (although he still spend 100 or 200 yuan a month on
medication) and spent everything else on Zhou Anhua. He did not spent a single
donated cent on himself. Although Zhou Anhua tried to insist that his father get
treated, he has always declined.
Zhou Anhua's younger fellow student Nie Xuan has been trying to tell people
about Zhou Anhua through the Internet. Everyday, he updates any new donations
that have been received. When money is spent, he publishes the details. He also
responds to inquiries from netizens. Nie Xuan said that he had thought that it
would be quite simple and never imagined that this was the proper way to handle
things. But he realizes that honesty is the way to deal with kind-hearted
people.
The Chen Yi incident had some direct impact on the call for assistance from
the Zhous. Many netizens personally come to the hospital to visit them, and to
confirm the conditions. Their honesty gained the trust of the netizens.
According to Nie Xuan, when people began to challenge Chen Yi's account after
September 20, the donations to Zhou Anhua actually increased as everyone who
visited him gave money.
"The netizens have really low requirements. All they want is an honest
stance," said Bafenzhai.
Mutual assistance is an excellent Chinese tradition. The Chinese live by "if
someone is in trouble, everybody else helps out." From the Chen Yi incident, we
can see how the traditional Chinese spirit of mutual assistance sparkled.
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