After a veteran passed away, his three children founded a scholarship at their alma mater using a fortune left by their father, reported Chengdu Business Daily.

The scholarship fund was established at Kaijiang Middle School in Dazhou, Sichuan province, on Sept 11. The fund of 1 million yuan ($146,000) comes from money left behind by Qi Susheng, a veteran who died earlier this year at age 89.

The scholarship will be used to reward outstanding students at the school, using the annual income of around 50,000 yuan generated from the fund, said Qi Xiaoling, the oldest daughter of the late veteran.

After her father died in April, Qi and her younger sister and brother decided to use their father's legacy to set up a fund to encourage outstanding students.

"We hope the fund will help more students study hard and pave a solid foundation for their life," said Qi Yahui, the son of the veteran.

"Kaijiang Middle School is the starting point of our life," said Qi. He and his two older sisters are all alumni of the school.

Qi said they used money his father had saved from pension and veteran allowances to create the fund.

When recalling her father, Qi Yaling, the veteran's youngest daughter, said her father had never gone to school and only learned how to read at a literacy class while in the service.

Knowing deeply the importance of education, Qi was strict with his three children about their studies. He asked them to insist on studying, no matter what the circumstances.

Qi Xiaoling said that during the time when learning materials were rare, his father would bring home whatever articles and books he could find and let his children read. Even during the time when the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) disrupted school education, her father never allowed them to slack off in their studies.