Unknown

Southern People Weekly journalist Chen Lei interviewed him

• Report rights infringement
• published: 11 Jan 2014
• views: 185

Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews Chinese business executive Chen Guangbiao has come to New York. He calls himself "China's most outstanding philanthropist and moral leader." But what a sort of person is he actually? From recorded material obtained by NTD reporters, we can see he intimidated a journalist using mafia-like threats and he says he relies on official support. During the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, Chen Guangbiao reportedly sent his company staff to drive excavators over one thousand kilometers to provide aid. He became a celebrity and was even commended by China's ex-Premier Wen Jiabao. However, in November of 2013, Li Bao, an editor for Beijing-based Chinese Business newspaper, exposed the truth in an article. Chen Guangbiao had actually rented several local excavators in Wenchuan, had some locals wear his company uniform, opened a very large banner on the highway, and then took photographs of it and sent them to the media. In January of 2011, Chen Guangbiao published his 2010 donation list on the People's Daily Website. But when China Philanthropy Times was making its annual chart of most charitable persons and checked the donations, they found most of Chen's donations, which totaled 330 million yuan ($54 million), were not verifiable. Then the Mainland Chinese media began to strongly question Chen Guangbiao. On April 23, 2011, Chinese Business published an article titled with "The Authenticity Myth About No. 1 Philanthropist Chen Guangbiao". Four days later, Southern Metropolitan Daily published a long article titled, "Revisiting Chen Guangbiao 's Past". Then, two days later, Southern People Weekly published a front page report titled, "Behind the Halo of 'No. 1 Philanthropist ' Chen Guangbiao: Personal Relationship, Philanthropy and Business". Chen Guangbiao threatened the journalist Chen Lei in September of 2010. When Chen Guangbiao gave a lecture in Fudan University, Southern People Weekly journalist Chen Lei interviewed him on the topic of carrying out his promised donations. Before the interview, Chen Guangbiao said he donated to a Senior Citizen Activity Centre in his hometown, Tianganghu Town of Sihong County, Jiangsu Province. But local residents say Chen Guangbiao 's parents stay at the Centre, without letting other people in. Chen Lei visited Sihong County and made an investigation. On the second day, he received an abusive text message from an unknown cell phone number, and his as well as another reporter 's identity card numbers were mentioned. When Chen Guangbiao was interviewed by Chen Lei, he said he was very clear about the whereabouts of several journalists. Chen Guangbiao: "You interviewed 10 people and I know 8 of them. You lodged at a hotel in Sihong County on Sept. 18 and 19. Later you might have gone back home for the holidays and then returned there." After finishing the interview, Chen Guangbiao felt there might be some issues. So when he stopped over the airport, he rang Chen Lei and warned him to be careful. Chen Guangbiao: "You are still young kid. You might be satisfied with other people 's confidential negative information. But with me, you have to pay attention, meaning that if you reveal something negative about me, your time might come... I can only remind you like this way. I've told you very clearly." Before Chen Lei published the article "Behind the Halo of 'No. 1 Philanthropist ' Chen Guangbiao", Chen Guangbiao let him know his unusual relationship with the CCP 's Propaganda Department, and stated that high rank officials will stop his report. Chen Guangbiao: "I just reported the thing to the department... They said, 'will he dare to try publishing it?' They just said this sentence. The Guangdong Provincial committee, Standing Committee and provincial propaganda department are angry about it. Will you dare try publishing it? The leaders spoke this way, those aren't my words." After the article was published, Chen Lei received an email containing a photo of a mangled corpse. Chen Lei told NTD Chen Guangbiao has a close relationship with the Propaganda Department of the CCP. Chen Lei, journalist at Southern People Weekly: "Because he's involved with the Propaganda Department, it is equal to kidnapping the government. He is the national moral exemplar, the so-called called 'earthquake savior', and CCTV endorses him. Whether some involved people were bribed is unclear. But he definitely has a good relationship with the Propaganda Department. It is said that he donated money to a human rights fund under the Propaganda Department." When Chen Guangbiao once appeared on the CCTV show Oriental Horizon he reportedly took out a thick notebook of his total donations of over 1.4 billion yuan ($231 billion). Meanwhile, CCTV requested the local CCP head in his donation projects in Sihong County of Jiangsu Province.