Charity work with no end

Retired teacher who built school for quake victims continues to help farmers

Starting charity work can be easy, but sustaining it is the real challenge. Shen Cuiying, a retired Shanghai teacher who embarked on her charity work in 2008 and has continued with it till this day, knows this well.

The 74-year-old earned recognition as the Shanghai grandmother who sold one of her two apartments to build a primary school in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, in the aftermath of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Over the past 12 years, Shen and her son have also financially helped the survivors by trying to sell their kiwi fruit through a company they have set up.

While the school has been faring well, the kiwi fruit business has been less successful and her son has had to sell his own apartment to keep the company going.

This summer, Shen sold her remaining apartment in downtown Shanghai and bought two smaller ones to ensure both she and her son have somewhere to live.

"My family lived an impoverished life when I was a child. So when I had a certain amount of wealth, I wanted to do a good deed. During the limited days of my life, I hope to do something with social value," said Shen, who used to teach primary school students and hearing-impaired children.