He Nanxin (front left) receives flowers from the school at the Student Aiding Ceremony. [Photo by Chen Hui]

An old man rode a tricycle to Huateya School in Tanzhou Town on December 13. He donated 15,000 yuan from his pension to subsidize and reward some students in the School. The elderly has persisted in such a student aiding activity for 13 years.

The old man is called He Nanxin, a 77-year-old retired teacher. "I turned out to be a stupid child in speaking and writing. Being a middle school teacher was the result of hard work and careful studying", said He.

Out of his love for education, He Nanxin became a middle school teacher after graduation and taught in many schools in Zhongshan until he retired in 1999.

There was a retired teacher called Feng Ruiqiang, who had insisted on making school donations for many years but stopped in 2006 for some reasons. "We often take part in activities together. After he stopped making donations, I decided to continue this activity," said He.

"My family did not agree with my decision at first. So I only donated part of my spare money to help students, about 20,000 yuan over the years. It was just a small amount of money but a token of my heart," He Nanxin said.

Since 2006, He Nanxin has contacted some schools and paid bonuses to poor students. Under his influence, some retired teachers and senior staff of the working committee for the next generation often participate in student aiding activities in various forms.