??? “I did not get the chance to go to university because nobody came to help me. I don’t want other children to have the same fate as me. I will try my best to help them go back to school.” ??? — Zhou Xiaoping, a successful businessman who helps poor children reach their university dreamsWang Yuanyuan ????cheekywang@hotmail.com ????ZHOU XIAOPING is a star in his hometown, a small rural village in Hunan Province, but no matter how successful he becomes in business, he said, he will never forget to help struggling students fulfill their university dreams. ????“I did not get the chance to go to university because nobody came to help me. I don’t want other children to have the same fate as me. I will try my best to help them go back to school,” he said. ????Zhou, 49, runs a small home appliances factory in Shenzhen and invests in financial and energy areas. ????He also supports 19 poor families in Hunan and Guizhou provinces and Guangxi, helping young drop-outs go back to school and receive university educations. ????“I know their thirst for knowledge too well,” Zhou said. “I know what it feels like to have no money and no chance to fight against your destiny. I don’t want these things to happen again.” ????A chance to change lives ????Born in a small village in a mountainous area in Linli County, Zhou got an offer from a university when he was 18, in 1982. ????“I was so excited, but also sad. Going to the university was my dream and I finally got the chance. However, my family was poor,” he said. “It was not easy for my parents to support me and my four other brothers and sisters. In such a large but poor family, somebody had to sacrifice.” ????Eventually, Zhou decided not to tell anyone about his offer and hid the precious acceptance letter in the bottom of his closet. ????After farming for a year, Zhou started to think about what he would do with his life. ????“When I visited my classmate in Yichang, Hubei Province, I found that a handbag was selling for 2.5 yuan (US$0.40) there, so I decided to buy some and sell them for 5 yuan in my hometown,” he recalled. “A few months later, I had made more than 100 yuan. And that was my first bucket of gold.” ????With the 100 yuan, he opened a cigarette booth in the small town. Because of his hard work, he soon ran a small business, selling books in Hunan and Sichuan provinces, and got married. ????In 1990, his first daughter was born. ????“I wanted to let my daughter live a good life, so I decided to go somewhere I could make more money,” he said. ????Coming to Shenzhen was not Zhou’s plan, however. ????“I don’t know why I chose to get on the train to South China, but when I got off the train many people rushed to a minibus, so I went after them,” he said. “When the minibus arrived at its final destination, I was told that I was in Litchi Park in Shenzhen.” ????Like many young newcomers to Shenzhen in the 1990s, Zhou lived in rented apartments in urban villages, spent his nights in Litchi Park when he was broke and sometimes survived for several days on only a bun. ????“The life was harsh, but I chose to keep up with it. Finally I found a job with a trade company, selling peanut oil,” he said. ????Three months later, Zhou was made the head of his department. ????“I always tell the students I support and employees in my company that young people should not be afraid of a hard life,” he said. “Many young people nowadays are very picky about finding jobs and care too much about salaries. It is not good. Making mistakes and having a hard time when you are young can help you gain much precious experience.” ????Helping the needy ????After years of hard work, Zhou has finally settled down in Shenzhen and can enjoy a comfortable life with his family. But he said he can’t stop thinking about those who still live in poverty. ????Every time Zhou meets old women pulling bottles from garbage bins, blind men playing flutes in parks or disabled men selling newspapers on streets, for example, he always gives them money. ????“Those who try to make money with their own hands are more worth helping than beggars,” Zhou said. ????In 2003, Zhou went back to his hometown and found that a small bridge in the village had become too old and dangerous, so he donated money to build a new bridge for the villagers. ????Since 2005, Zhou and his friends have paid the tuition for more than 30 students at Hupingshan Primary School in Hunan. ????Zhou said he can’t remember exactly how many students he and his friends have helped over the past nine years. Nineteen students currently receive money from him regularly, he said. ????“My father was a Buddhist. He often told me to do as many good deeds as I could,” Zhou said. “Although he was a poor man, he always helped his neighbors and relatives in the village. I saw him as my hero and I want to do the same.” ????Zhou said he also gains a lot of fun from the students he supports. ????“Many students write letters to me regularly, telling their thoughts and sharing their lives. I always encourage them to go out to see the world when they grow up. I also invite them to visit Shenzhen after graduation. Reading their letters and sharing our hearts feels really nice and warm,” he said. ????‘Strawberry woman’ ????Zhou said he leads an active life with plenty of time for golf, badminton, swimming and mountain climbing. ????“Sports are great. They keep me passionate and energetic, and make me a very happy and positive person,” he said. “I also like to travel. As my son grows older, I often take him on trips across mountainous areas, to let him see the hard lives of rural people. It is good education for him. He can learn more about other people and the world and have greater appreciation for what he has.” ????Now divorced, Zhou said his biggest hope, however, is to find the right woman to share his life with. ????“Although I have a failed marriage, I still believe in love and will never give up on finding my true love,” he said. ????Several years ago, Zhou said, he met a woman working at a fruit stand while traveling in Finland. ????“That was love at first sight. But I did not talk to her because I did not speak the language,” he said. ????Because he could not get the woman out of his mind, he decided to return to Finland the next year and find the same fruit stand. But the woman no longer worked there. ????“I did not want to give up, so I went there for a third time the next year, but even the stand was gone,” he said. ????Zhou said he will keep looking for the “strawberry woman.” ????“I hope I can find a woman who can do good deeds with me and who can spend a whole afternoon reading children’s letters with me,” he said. | 