Charity stunt by Chinese millionaire goes awry

A three-course lunch hosted in New York by Chinese multi-millionaire and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao for homeless people on Wednesday ran into problems after the homeless people said Chen reneged on a deal to give them each $300.

He instead decided to donate the money to the New York City Rescue Mission.

Chen previously took out full-page ads in the New York Times that said "Leading Chinese philanthropist teams up with famous American charities to host charity luncheon for 1,000 poor and destitute Americans. Each will receive 300 dollars."

However, at the luncheon on Wednesday, hosted at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, some of the homeless people were angered because they didn't receive the money as written on the ads, according to the New York Daily News.

Craig Mayes, the mission's executive director, said the idea was misrepresented in the media.

"I do believe there was something lost in translation," he said.

At the luncheon, Chen had attendees sing the "Good Model Citizen Lei Feng," according to media reports. Volunteers dressed up in the uniforms of Lei Feng, a soldier who was characterized as an icon of selfless virtue in the 1950s and 60s.

Reactions to the luncheon have been mixed. Many netizens said that he was merely staging a publicity stunt and that he had created a negative image of Chinese rich people.

Rong Jian, board chairman of the Jindu Art Center in Beijing, wrote on his Sina Weibo that Chen conveyed to the world the chaotic values of a Chinese nouveau riche.

Deng Guosheng, director of the NGO Research Center at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that Chen's actions did have a certain degree of positive effects.

"He donated money and expressed that he has love and care, it's a charitable act and might contribute to the dialogue in charity between China and the US," he said.

However, he criticized the way Chen conducted the charity work, saying it would not solve any real social issues. "His charity action is more like condescending gift-giving. It's destructive charity," he said.

Chen could not be reached for comment on Thursday. In a previous interview, he said he believed his high profile would influence people to do good.

"If 10 people know you helped someone, it is just the same as having done 10 good things," he said.