Businessman's auto giveaway lauded

Chen Guangbiao's offering free domestic cars to owners of Japanese-brand vehicles that were damaged in recent anti-Japan protests has won the high-profile businessman praise for his philanthropy, but some are skeptical about his motives.

Chinese businessman and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao speaks during a ceremony offering 43 new cars to people whose Japanese-brand cars were damaged during anti-Japan protests, in Nanjing, Oct 10, 2012. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

On Oct 10, Chen handed out 43 new Chinese-brand cars worth more than 5 million yuan ($796,000) in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province.

The 43 people who got cars for free were chosen from 172 applicants across China. They had to be followers of Chen's micro blog, and needed to submit documentation from local public security bureaus to prove that their Japanese-brand cars were destroyed during the recent anti-Japan protests.

Many Japanese-brand cars were smashed or damaged by protestors during the nationwide protests against Japan's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands in September.

Chen promised on his micro blog on Sept 18 that anyone whose car got smashed or damaged during the protest could get a replacement Chinese brand for free.

Liu Jun, a resident whose Toyota Camry was damaged during a protest in Suzhou of Jiangsu province, said he did not believe Chen's offer at first.

"I applied for the replacement anyway...Many people say that Chen did this for show, but the show's welcome if he spends his own money," Liu was quoted by Beijing News as saying.

During the ceremony on Oct 10, Chen sang on top of cars and waved China's national flag.

Chen said that the domestic cars he provided are generally cheaper than the smashed Japanese-brand ones because his wealth is limited.

"The aim of the replacement is to call for a rational and restrained way to show patriotism," Chen said.

But experts said that some doubt those claims.

"Chen prefers to attract attention by doing charity in a different way," said Yang Tuan, a social-policy expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"But his high-profile way of practicing charity can easily provoke the public's doubts about his motive, about whether he's after fame and fortune or not."

Chen, the 44-year-old chairman of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Co, has long been noted for his high-profile charitable acts.

In 2011, Chinese media reported that Chen gave money directly to earthquake survivors and some volunteers in Yingjiang county, Yunnan province, with some of them specifically asked to hold up the money for a photo.

Also in 2011, in Bijie of Guizhou province, Chen offered free livestock and farm tools to farmers to attract them to his concert. The farmers could collect the livestock and tools only after farmers listened to the whole concert.