Society

'Rich Uncle Li' turns out to be garbage woman

By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-24 13:16

Kang Yujing never imagined her "Rich Uncle Li" would turn out to be a sanitary worker and garbage collector, or even a 64-year-old woman, before meeting her in April, after receiving help from her for four years.

Left: Kang Yujing (L), a senior at Qufu Normal University in East China's Shandong province, burst into tears in Li Yukun's arms after learning it is this 64-year-old grandmother who has been giving her 1,000 yuan ($150) each year, at their meeting April 19, 2010. Right: A thank you letter Kang wrote to Li shows she addressed it to "Uncle Li." [Photo/Xinhua]

Kang, a senior at Qufu Normal University in East China's Shandong province, burst into tears in Li Yukun's arms when she learned it was this 64-year-old grandmother who has been giving her 1,000 yuan ($150) each year, according to Xinhua News Agency's report Friday.

Li, who Kang reckoned must be a rich kindhearted man, herself is a poor sanitary worker and garbage collector, whose only home appliance is an old donated TV set, in Wendeng city of Shandong province, according to Xinhua.

In her thank you letters to Li, the student addressed her as "Uncle Li" before their meeting on April 19.

Xinhua said Kang was only one of the 15 students Li has helped, and the woman has given away about 100,000 yuan, which she earned by collecting garbage since 1998 and her job as a sanitary worker.

Nicknamed "Iron Feet Li" by her colleagues, she begged the Wendeng environmental protection department to let her keep her job, even though she has long passed the retirement age of 50, because she has 10 other students to support.

Xinhua said Wendeng's construction bureau has given Li 50,000 yuan for living expenses, but she has donated all of the money, against the advice of her colleagues.

She also decided, after discussing it with her two married daughters, to donate her body after her death.