Is Chen a philanthropist or just a charlatan?

Chen Guangbiao had a meal in a villager’s home in Xiadapa village in Southwest China’s Guizhou province on Oct 10, 2011.[Photo/CFP]

TWO INVESTIGATIVE reports published on Tuesday unraveled many secrets of maverick philanthropist Chen Guangbiao, president of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources, raising questions on his company's operations and his donation promises. Ifeng.com commented on Wednesday:

Chen, a multimillionaire philanthropist known for his controversial publicity stunts, has never revealed how he accumulated his massive wealth. Earlier this year, police discovered more than 170 forged stamps on his company's premises in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, which were allegedly used to sign contracts worth more than 300 million yuan ($45 million).

His possible involvement in the fraud aside, Chen has benefited a lot from the philanthropist image he has relentlessly sought to build. According to the two reports, Chen's eye-catching charity work does not hold water, as many have not yet received the money he pledged to donate for their benefit.

He is media savvy, and known to show up at all his charity events, promise to donate an astronomical amount and resort to bizarre publicity stunts. After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan province, Chen even claimed to have led a team of excavators to help the rescue operation.

However, evidence suggest his "good deeds" were flawed. Many of his donations, for example, turn out to be just empty claims. But for some reason, most previous investigations into his charity work were thwarted.

Chen's obscure public image has made it difficult for people to see who he really is, especially because he did make some donations, and preferred to give cash or tangible assets when he met the recipients and make it known to the media. That explains why some people would defend him.

Yet his donation claims are questionable. Although his philanthropic image also granted him some protection in the face of investigation, now that he has lost his official endorsement, the truth behind his promises will be gradually revealed.