A Century of Kindness: A 102-Year-Old Couple's Story of Sponsoring 166 College Students

"In our old age, we are deeply grateful to the Party and the state for giving us a good life. As long as we live, we must do something for the Party and the country." This is a phrase that Jiang Kongti and Zhao Qin, a couple, have repeated for most of their lives.

Jiang Kongti was born in 1925 and is now 102 years old. His wife Zhao Qin is 95. Both are long-time Party members. Over the past decade or so, they have successively sponsored 166 college students from all over the country, many of whom have already graduated and started working.

On the eve of July 1st (the Party's founding anniversary), the couple gave an interview to The Paper at their Shanghai home. They told reporters that their philanthropic journey began in 2010 when they saw a news report about the plight of impoverished college students from the Wenchuan earthquake disaster area. Deeply moved, they decided to use their pensions to donate over 1 million yuan in total to the Shanghai Charity Foundation. Sometimes, when they were sponsoring too many students at once and faced a cash flow shortage, they would borrow money from their children to ensure the scholarships were disbursed on time.

To ensure their kindness truly benefits those who strive, the couple set strict rules: sponsored students must regularly send their report cards. Those who slack off or see a decline in grades will have their funding stopped. Only diligent, motivated, and dedicated students can continue to receive support.

"We hope that the college students we have helped will contribute more to the country in the future and become the pillars of the nation," said Zhao Qin. This is the couple's greatest wish.

Helping one college student uplifts an entire family

Jiang Kongti, born in 1925, joined the military in January 1949, became a member of the Communist Party of China in November 1962, was transferred to civilian work in Shanghai in 1963, and worked at the Chuansha Supply and Marketing Cooperative's General Agricultural Trade Company until his retirement in 1985. He is now 102. His wife Zhao Qin joined the CPC in 1954 and is now 95.

In 2010, a newspaper report about the Shanghai Charity Foundation's "Hand-in-Hand Pairing for Education Sponsorship" program deeply touched the couple. The report described the struggles of nine impoverished college students from the Wenchuan earthquake zone. After reading it, they could not calm down for a long time and discussed how they could help these students realize their dreams of education within their means.

The next morning, the couple rushed to the Shanghai Charity Foundation, determined to sponsor nine students from the disaster area. Zhao Qin recalled that sponsoring one student cost 2,500 yuan per year at the time. They calculated the amount and brought money for nine students. However, while reviewing the materials on-site, they came across the case of an orphan from another region. Unable to bear the thought of leaving him out, they decided to sponsor one more. Jiang Kongti went home specially to scrape together the money from their living expenses, and they ended up sponsoring 10 students at once, thus beginning their journey of educational philanthropy. In the following months, they added more sponsorships twice, supporting 40 struggling college students in their very first year.

Zhao Qin admitted that she grew up in poverty without the opportunity to study. After growing up, she worked in a textile factory until retirement, learning technical skills and teaching herself to read along the way. "Whenever I see someone who wants to go to college but can't, it pains me deeply," she said.

"Helping one person is better than none. By helping one college student, we uplift an entire family," Zhao Qin believes. If their donations enable these students to achieve academic success and later help the country develop rapidly, that would be the best reward.

In Jiang Kongti's eyes, their decision also embodies their love for the Party and the country. The elderly man told reporters that he was born into a revolutionary family — his father, older brother, and younger brother are all Party members. "As long as we live, we must do something for the Party and the country" — this phrase has been on his lips for most of his life.

In reality, the couple was not financially well-off for a long time. They have three children, and supporting the family was no small burden. After retirement, Zhao Qin suffered from various illnesses — heart disease, coronary heart disease, neurasthenia, and sciatica — one after another, leaving her bedridden for many years. Monthly medical expenses almost exhausted both of their pensions.

Around 2010, Zhao Qin's condition gradually improved, and the family's financial situation got better. The couple began donating 60,000 to 70,000 yuan each year. With the mindset of "seeing a good deed through to the end," they lived frugally — taking buses and the subway whenever possible, just to save more money for their educational sponsorships.

In the eyes of their youngest daughter, Jiang Xinyue, her father has never been willing to buy himself new clothes over the years. At the market, he always picks the cheapest meat. "His own clothes are always patched up, layer upon layer of patches. The clothes we buy for him, he keeps in his wardrobe, reluctant to wear, and often gives them away to the college students who come to visit him."

At home, the honors the couple have received are displayed on the TV feature wall in the living room.

Letters as a bridge: 'They are like our own children'

At the couple's home, there is a list made in 2024 recording 130 of the students they have sponsored. Every student's name, date of birth, sponsorship number, school, and major are clearly listed.

Over the past decade, the scope of their sponsorships has continued to expand. The number of sponsored students has now reached 166, coming from more than 20 regions including Xinjiang, Qinghai, Guangxi, and Sichuan, studying at universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Shanghai Ocean University. Some have not yet graduated, while others have already started working. "Among the first batch of 40 students we sponsored, one-third went on to graduate school," Jiang Kongti said with satisfaction.

"We must ensure every child we help graduates successfully and doesn't give up halfway." This has been the couple's long-standing wish. To date, their total donations have exceeded one million yuan. Sometimes, when they were sponsoring too many students at once and faced a cash flow shortage, they would borrow money from their children to ensure the scholarships were disbursed on time. Their children understand and strongly support their parents' charitable deeds.

To ensure their kindness truly benefits those who strive, the couple also set strict rules: sponsored students must regularly send their report cards. Those who slack off or see a decline in grades will have their funding stopped. Only diligent, motivated, and dedicated students can continue to receive support. In their view, sponsorship is not mere charity, but support for ambitious students, and they must urge the children to cherish their educational opportunities.