Frugal octogenarian donates book collection, 100,000 yuan to set up fund at university for promoting reading

Tang Guoliang, an 85-year-old retired faculty member of Jiangsu University in east China’s Jiangsu Province, recently donated 100,000 yuan (about $15,813.8) to the university’s library to set up a fund that promotes reading, the first of its kind in the university.

Photo shows Tang Guoliang, an 85-year-old retired faculty member of Jiangsu University in east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo courtesy of Jiangsu University)

Tang, who lives a thrifty life, also donated 167 medical books he has collected over the past years, including 15 medical notebooks.

Tang said he would like to contribute his remaining energy to do more meaningful things.

“I hold special feelings for poor students. I always support those poor students who are self-reliant,” Tang said. Over the past 25 years after his retirement, he has been helping students with difficulties in their studies and life at the university.

Photo shows the books Tang Guoliang donated. (Photo courtesy of Jiangsu University)

Ten years ago when Tang heard that a girl in his hometown was experiencing financial difficulties, he managed to contact the girl and donate 1,000 yuan to her.

“I was from a poor family. So I understand how hard life is for poor people, and know the significance of reading,” Tang said.

“I know from my own experience that reading can build one’s future. I really hope that young people can read more excellent books,” the retiree said.

Photo shows Tang Guoliang presenting his books during the donation ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Jiangsu University)

Tang is a bookworm. As a regular visitor to the university’s library, he still borrowed about 50 books annually from the library in recent years. He also developed the habit of taking notes while reading. The old man wrote down about one million characters of notes in the 15 medical notebooks he donated.

“These notes include many important medical cases I recorded. I hope that they are of reference value for medical teachers and students,” Tang said.

According to Tang Jingxia, the octogenarian’s daughter, reading and thrift are a part of her family tradition. She introduced that her father has remained economical after retirement in order to save up more money for donation to others.

Photo shows Tang Guoliang’s notebooks. (Photo courtesy of Jiangsu University)

Photo shows the books Tang Guoliang donated. (Photo courtesy of Jiangsu University)