On February 18, the ninth day of the first lunar month, the flavor of the New Year is still strong, and in Shangyu, Shaoxing, many people are immersed in deep remembrance, and everyone remembers the caring person Zhang Jie in various ways.
At 2:01 a.m. on the same day, the 5th National Moral Model Candidate, Zhejiang Province Love Township Model,
Zhang Jie, a well-known Hong Kong compatriot, died of a heart attack in Hong Kong at the age of 95.
Zhang Jie is in Hong Kong, and his heart is in his hometown Photo by Liu Yuping.
Who is Zhang Jie? He may be unknown in Hong Kong, where wealthy businessmen gather, but he is a household name in his hometown of Shangyu, and when people mention his name, they are always closely associated with those schools and children.
At least half of the people under the age of 50 in Shangyu have been directly or indirectly helped by him: or with the scholarship he set up, they have fulfilled their dreams of studying; or have taken classes and done experiments in the funded school building; Or have used the teaching and sports equipment he gifted. Although most people have not met him, he has accompanied many people in their growth.
Zhang Jie's honorary certificate of "model of the township" taken by Liu Yuping.
For more than 40 years, Zhang Jie has donated a total of 15 million yuan.
18 Zhang Jie teaching buildings were built.
On the morning of the 18th, many citizens rushed to an old house in the Huaguang Neighborhood Committee of Lianghu Town, Shangyu, to offer a flower or bow. Zhang Jie was born here in 1928. This old house is a little shabby compared to the new farmhouses around it. Not far away, is the Lianghu Tianxiang Primary School and Zhang Jie Middle School donated by Zhang Jie in the first decade of the last century. Decades later, the school building is still spacious and bright, and the students have graduated one after another, but they all know that their school was built with the donation of a "grandfather who sleeps on the floor" in Hong Kong.
When he was a child, due to his poor family, Zhang Jie went out to earn a living before graduating from primary school, and then came to Hong Kong, from just working as a helper to becoming a partner in a southern goods store, working for 20 years. In 1978, he rented a corridor of less than 6 square meters on the streets of Kowloon, opened a retail shop, and started a small business selling crabs, palms, tea and eggs.
Zhang Jie opened a commissary on Granville Road in Hong Kong, with an area of only 6 square meters. Photo by Liu Yuping.
Cheung Kit's grocery store of less than 6 square meters on Ka Lin Wei Old Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Photo by Liu Yuping.
In order to make money, Zhang Jie's family wrapped zongzi day and night Photo by Liu Yuping.
Although life in Hong Kong is not affluent, Zhang Jie has a special love for helping students in his hometown.
In 1979, Zhang Jie donated a color TV worth 3,000 yuan to Shangyu Middle School, which was the first time he donated to the education cause of his hometown. After that, every time he returned to his hometown, Zhang Jie had to go to various schools to have a look, and when he found a school in difficulty, he funded the construction of school buildings and equipment. In the 80s of the last century, in Shangyu Middle School, Zhang Jie found that the school could not find a decent laboratory, could not see a decent library, so he generously donated to Shangyu Middle School to build a teaching building, library, dormitory building, and donated color TVs, musical instruments, vans, ceiling fans and other materials, Shangyu Middle School has a new look, at the same time, he also set up a scholarship of 10,000 yuan.
In 1991, Zhang Jie learned that the country carried out the "Hope Project", he specially came to Shangyu Siming Mountain, visited the local primary school, middle school, from the school building to the canteen, from the toilet to the laboratory, he looked carefully, learned that some schools due to lack of funds, dilapidated houses are difficult to renovate for a while, Mr. Zhang was emotional again, a funding old area, the border area of the mountain school "Hope Project" plan formed in his mind, he took out more than 1 million yuan for the first time, built two middle schools in Saohu, Wai'e and Lianghu, Two elementary schools in Huxi. Then he came to Hongqiao Village, Chenxi Township, the most remote place in Shangyu, and donated more than 200,000 yuan to Hongqiao Primary School.
Zhang Jie has won the honorable titles of "Zhejiang Patriotic Model" and "Shangyu Outstanding Township Sage".
Shangyu teachers and students are carrying out the activity of "learning the spirit of Zhang Jie and striving to be the most beautiful student" Photo by Liu Yuping.
Zhang Jiele took a group photo with the masses participating in the theatrical performance by Liu Yuping.
In the 90s of the last century, Zhang Jie's deeds of donation to education were reported many times in a prominent position in "Zhejiang**". Zhang Jie once told reporters that it was precisely because of this difficult way to make a living that triggered and strengthened his lifelong wish to donate money to study. Speaking of why to help students, Zhang Jie once said: "The reason why China has been poor and backward for a long time is that the key is backward education, China wants to be rich and strong, and education must be carried out, but the population is large, the stall is large, and it is not enough to rely on the best alone, and the whole people must support education and donate money to build schools." ”
For more than 40 years, Zhang Jie has donated a total of 15 million yuan to build 18 Zhang Jie teaching buildings, 32 classrooms, dormitory buildings, and libraries, and set up more than 2 million yuan of education to subsidize students in need.
Zhang Jie donated 2,000,000 yuan for education development Photo by Liu Yuping.
For the sake of the children, he "picked" himself almost harshly.
People call me boss, but I actually sleep on the floor."
But such a generous Hong Kong businessman is very "stingy" with himself and his family. In 2005, Zhang Jie was elected as the "Pride of Zhejiang" by the people of the province. At the award ceremony, Zhang Jie said with a smile: "People call me boss, but in fact, I sleep on the floor and eat watercres." ”
In 1997, the reporter was invited to Zhang Jie's house in Hong Kong as a guest, and found that a house of about 30 square meters of his house was divided into two, with a bedroom inside and a living room outside. When there was a guest at home, Zhang Jie had to lay on the floor. It is not that Zhang Jie is unable to improve his housing conditions, but that he donated all the money he has saved so hard to his hometown to establish education and run a school.
Zhang Jie often said: "Money should be spent on the right path." His "right path" was to build a school for the children in his hometown. Zhang Jie is far from being a rich man, and there is no other way to realize his life's long-cherished wish, but one word - province. In Hong Kong, Zhang Jie eats coarse tea and light rice, wears cheap clothes, goes out to take the bus, and picks buses without air conditioning, just because the tickets are cheap.
For the sake of the children in his hometown, Zhang Jie was almost harsh on himself. One year, the old man had an illness. An operation cost him some of his savings that he had included in the "Donation Plan". Lying on the hospital bed, Zhang Jie tossed and turned and couldn't sleep: how to fill this gap? In the end, this "old smoker" who has smoked for decades has just quit.
Zhang Jie, who is used to being sloppy with himself, is very particular about donating to build a school when he returns to his hometown. Every time he donated money to build a building, Zhang Jie was always very busy, selecting the school site, checking the quality, and supervising the progress ......The piles and piles had to be painstaking, and a construction team was specially selected to undertake the construction of the new school building. When Zhang Jie Middle School was built, Zhang Jie was concerned about the toilet problem: "Children can't be allowed to study in a smelly place." "The newly built toilets are really bright and tidy.
After a long time, Zhang Jie's generosity and "stinginess" became famous in Shangyu, and everyone admired this enthusiastic and lovely old man more and more. The last time he appeared in front of the public was in August 2023, entrusted by the people of Shangyu's hometown, Chen Qiuqiang, president of the Shangyu Xiangxian Research Association, went to Hong Kong to congratulate Zhang Jie on his 95th birthday.
This is Zhang Jie's first birthday. In the last century, the children wanted to celebrate the 70th birthday of the old man, and Zhang Jie donated the 5,000 yuan in cash that the children prepared for his birthday to Shangyu Middle School to buy books and materials.
Chen Qiuqiang remembers that at that time, Zhang Jie said to everyone: "Someone asked me, what is the secret of longevity? Willing! I donated all the money I had to spend my life to donate money to my hometown to study, and I was very happy. Longevity is probably God's reward for me. ”
The length of life has a time limit, and the width of life can be as wide as the sea. Just like the Cao'e River in his hometown, the people of his hometown will always remember Mr. Zhang. Chen Qiuqiang said with emotion.
Netizens teary-eyed: Mr. has gone all the way.
*: Chao News.
*: Hangzhou**.