Chen Guangbiao

Chen was born in July 1968, during the Cultural Revolution, where agricultural conditions were poor. His brother and sister starved to death, and, at the age of 10 years, Chen began supporting his family by selling water in the local village. Chen managed to earn a daily profit of 0.3 yuan (US$0.04), which was equivalent to nearly half of an adult's daily wages at that time. Chen claimed in a 2009 profile for the Beijing Review that he paid for his own tuition, as well as making tuition contributions to help other children in his village, with the money he earned. At the age of 13 years, Chen began selling frozen food products and then started a "foodstuff" business at the age of 17 years. Chen commenced studies at the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in 1985 and, after graduation, he worked at the No. 2 Hospital affiliated with the university, Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences, and then Hongguang Medicine Company in Nanjing. In 2003, Chen enrolled at the business school of Nanjing University, earning an MBA degree in 2005. He also studied at the Guanghua School of Management of Peking University. ==Career==

Chen's first fortune was attained after graduating from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in the 1990s, as he patented and sold his invention: a "low-radiation ear acupuncture point illness probing and curing apparatus". Chen received the patent in 1994 and claims that the device can detect diseases and determine the sex of a fetus; however, one of Cheng's assistants informed a journalist in 2011 that Cheng is the only person capable of operating the machine. Following his unsuccessful New York Times bid, Chen expressed interest in the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge demolition project in January 2014, as two remaining contracts will be advertised in late 2014. The total value of the contracts for the demolition is US$240 million and Chen was informed that he could bid for a contract if his company is insured and becomes a licensed contractor in California, United States (US). ==Philanthropy and controversies==

Chen gained fame in China for his contribution in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. He arrived in the disaster zone early, and personally rescued 13 survivors and carried about 200 bodies out of the wreckage. Chen donated US$25 million to charitable causes in 2008, more than half of which went to the Sichuan earthquake relief effort. For his endeavors, Forbes Asia chose him as one of the 48 leading philanthropists of the Asia Pacific region, in both 2008 and 2009. In February 2010, Chen commissioned the construction of a wall made of 100-yuan bills, worth 15 million yuan (US$2.28 million), which was a portion of more than US$19 million in cash and goods donated by Chen and 90 other entrepreneurs. Chen is also credited with distributing a pile of cash worth US$5 million to young entrepreneurs in China, but the date is unclear and the event is rarely mentioned in media articles about Chen. A January 2013 article in The Guardian reported that Chen planned to give away 1.5 million yuan to young Chinese entrepreneurs during February of that year. On 25 June 2014, Chen hosted an event in conjunction with numerous US charities, including the New York City Rescue Mission, Served by volunteer waiters who wore uniforms similar to those worn by Chinese soldiers in the past, the attendees listened to Chen's vocal renditions of "We Are the World" and a Chinese communist song praising Lei Feng, An anti-Chinese Communist Party group gathered outside the venue to protest the event. ==Politics==

Chen has been described as a Chinese patriot. On 31 August 2012, he purchased an advertisement in The New York Times supporting China's claim to the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. According to Chen, the purpose of publishing the advertisement was to show the determination of Chinese entrepreneurs in defending China's sovereign rights. Chen has attracted attention for his publicity exercises involving environmentalist politics. In December 2012, covered by a sheet of wood and steel, Chen allowed two cars to drive over him to demonstrate that the world would be better without cars. The following month, in January 2013, Chen distributed cans of fresh air in China to raise awareness of the air pollution problems in the country. Chen explained to the media: "If we don't act in the next 10 years, our descendants will have to carry oxygen tanks and wear masks all the time." ==Criticism==

Jeremy Goldkorn has described Chen as "a clown whose so-called philanthropy appears to consist entirely of self-promotional stunts." The Southern Metropolitan Daily According to the Fast Company publication, a Chinese government directive, issued on September 29, 2010, stated: "All newspapers are forbidden from reporting negative news about Chen Guangbiao." ==Personal life==

Chen owns over 10 homes in China, including three in Nanjing. He has a surviving younger brother, who runs a guesthouse, and sister, who is a janitor. In relation to his siblings, Chen explained in June 2014: "I have not given them money because they earn their own money. I pay for their children's school fees." ==References==