One of the most renowned philanthropist and Chinese billionaire, Chen Guangbiao, has now stirred a new controversy in the bowels of Chinese government, while garnering his own share of appreciation from various charity groups, as he handed out a total of $ $241,000 in cash to poor and donated a portion of this sum to numerous charity groups in Taiwan. Chen Guangbiao is one of those eco-friendly billionaires, who a amassed a fortune by recycling construction materials, but was severely criticized for this noble deed by various anti-China groups, who accused him of promoting Taiwan’s reunification with mainland China.
Mr. Guangbiao distributed cash to poor in traditional red envelopes, that are considered to be common gifts during the holidays and other special occasions in and around China and other East Asian countries. However, this trip to Taiwan wasn’t without its own share of controversies and criticism, as the Chinese officials were skeptical about the trip from the beginning and have strongly condemned the billionaire’s move, calling it ‘ostentatious’. Even in the western nations, giving out cash to the poor is frowned upon, as it is believed that, such a gesture only strengthens dependency factor of the poor on the rich. While, many of the recipients of this gracious donations see it as a boon, other strongly believe that, the right way to give away donations, is to provide them to a charitable institution.
According to Chen Guangbiao,
“I don’t know anything about propaganda for Chinese reunification. I only know about charity and environmental work. I just want to do good. I will deliver every penny that I’ve promised… and I hope to come every year.â€
