A British philanthropist shares stories of love in China

By Cao Ruge

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A British philanthropist who has carried out five major walks to raise money for meaningful causes around the world, shared a poignant experience that he had several years ago in China.

Among a series of TEDx speeches held in Beijing on Sept. 30, themed "China's Road and Prospects," Lord Michael Bates stood out by sharing his stories of love in China.

On July 27, 2015, a special day which marked the third anniversary of the 2012 London Olympic Games, Lord Bates embarked upon a 71-day, more than 1,700 kilometers walk from Beijing to Hangzhou. During this, he raised about 900,000 yuan (150,000 US dollars) and donated most of the money to a charity called Hope House in Pizhou, a county of Xuzhou City in Southeast China's Jiangxi Province.

"I had the most impressive experience in a Hope House in Pizhou among all the 71 days I walked in China," said Lord Bates, a Minister of State at the Department for International Development in the UK government.

"It was a place for children with disabilities. In this school, the person who set it up taught his children, often with great disabilities, to play ping-pong. Because of that, 12 students of that school won medals at the Paralympic Games in London 2012."

Lord Bates said it was an experience that filled him with hope and excitement. Although students in that school suffered a lot, and their situation might have seemed hopeless to some, they remained defiantly optimistic and strong in the face of great challenges. Lord Bates loved what he saw and in order to continue supporting these children, he donated most of the money he raised from the walk to the Hope House.

Lord Bates' interests are not only restricted to the field of charity work, he also wants to do anything he can to make the world a better and more peaceful place. When he arrived in Nanjing on his walk, he visited the museum and the Garden of Peace dedicated to the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

"When I came out on the Garden of Peace from the dark underground of the museum, I felt this contrast between terrible, awful things that human beings can do to each other and the wonderful optimism of peace and hope for better future. The Garden of Peace in my opinion, isn't a garden wanting for revenge, but a garden wanting for peace," said Lord Bates.

His book Walk for Peace, based on a 71-day journey from Beijing to Hangzhou in 2015, was published in China in 2016, partially in English and partially in Chinese. The walk was to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and to highlight the first China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange.

In the book he writes about the kindness of the local people, his observations in different cities on the way, the beauty of the countryside and his thoughts on the cultural differences between China and his home country.

Also presenting at the conference were former Slovenian president Danilo Türk, former Egyptian prime minister Essam Sharaf and former Kyrgyz prime minister Djoomart Otorbaev.