RPT: Across China: Eatery rekindles China's generous spirit

An act of kindness or a money-making scheme?

Wang Yanqing says she's been the target of a few cynics since she opened a wall in her north China restaurant to generous customers who want to buy a meal for the less fortunate.

Customers in her Tianjin eatery - a franchise restaurant serving steamed dumplings, fried rice noodles, tofu balls and other fare - can pay for a dish in advance and a sticker with the dish name is pasted on the wall.

The hungry and poor can then claim a pre-paid meal from the wall.

Wang says the restaurant has taken more than 700 orders in the past month, with orders valued at up to 3,000 yuan a day.

When she took over the eatery in 2014, she found many of her customers were patients at a neighboring hospital that specializes in blood diseases. Expensive medical bills left them little to spend on meals.

"Once, an elderly couple with a little girl came in and ordered just rice and a plate of vegetables. I asked why they ordered so little and they said they had come a long way so their granddaughter could see a doctor. They had little money left and had nothing to eat all day," recalls Wang, who gave them some meat and soup on the house.

She did the same for other people in need, but soon the demand became too great.

Then someone told her of the "Coffee on the Wall" scheme run by a Los Angeles coffee shop. It enabled customers to pay bills for poor people by leaving a paper on the wall saying "A cup of coffee". The recipients could ask for "A coffee on the wall".

Wang drew a sign on the wall welcoming customers to donate dishes to the needy. The story spread through the news media. "Some customers even came from southeastern Sichuan and northwestern Inner Mongolia to pay for dozens of meals without leaving their names," said Wang.

A few express best wishes, such as "Hope you will be well soon."

She was impressed most by an old woman who left 20 yuan. "She said she did not have much money, but still wanted to do her own small part, because her husband had been diagnosed with cancer and she understood how hard life could be for patients and their families."

Hundreds of diners have flocked to the eatery and other restaurants near hospitals are replicating the scheme.

Helping others was once a virtue in China, but now people are afraid of being good samaritans after a spate of philanthropy scandals and legal disputes.

Cynics say Wang's real motive is making money.

She refutes this, saying charity recipients must produce medical records or doctor's notes to prove their need, and she's offered to open her accounts to the public and media.

She also shares photos of the new orders coming in and meals given out every day on social media. "I have never thought of making a fortune through charity. I just want to give a little back to society," she says.

"Six years ago, I migrated to Tianjin from Fujian Province, with only 300 yuan on me. I had no relatives or friends here. Many kindhearted people helped me go through difficult times. Now, I want to try to help those in need just as people did to me."

Zhang Baoyi, director of the Institute of Sociology at Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, says "Meals on the Wall" has reignited faith in small acts of kindness. They might bring little long-term relief to the impoverished and sick, but they are still praiseworthy and show a natural willingness to help.

Sociologists suggest the eatery should be open and transparent with its income and expenditure so it can grow its business.

"Only when customers see their money has helped others will they continue their support and draw more people in," says Zhang. Endit