Self-service stores promote honesty and raise money for charity in Chengdu
Updated: 2012-10-11 17:03
By Li Yu and Peng Chao in Chengdu(chinadaily.com.cn)
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"Honesty Stations" attract tourists in Kuanzhai Alley, a famous ancient street and tourist destination in Chengdu. |
Special self-service stores known as "Honesty Stations" are raising funds for pneumoconiosis patients in southwest China's Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan province.
The ongoing charitable activity began on Sept 22 and will last for one month.
Specially designed self-service stores appeared in several famous tourist destinations throughout the city. Their sales will be donated to support the treatment of pneumoconiosis patients in Sichuan.
Each of the self-service stores consists of a doorless wooden cabinet. Craft goods for sale are made by patients' relatives or donated by warm-hearted friends.
The money for the crafts will go to the patients' family who made them, while the rest will be donated to the "Da Ai Qing Chen" fund, affiliated with the Social Aid Foundation of China, to help pneumoconiosis patients.
"Honesty Stations" appeared in Chengdu in April this year. They were originally set up to raise money for poverty-stricken students in mountainous areas.
The project has raised 23,000 yuan ($3,657) for nine poor students in Mingshan county in the province's Ya'an city.
These stores have no guards and most of them are located out of the range of monitoring facilities.
"This is not only a way to raise money for charity, but also a test for honesty," said an official at the Chengdu Culture & Tourism Group, the initiator of the activity.
The group plans to open more stores at other tourist destinations in the city. It hopes to attract greater participation by improving the project's transparency.
"We are building a website to announce the income and expenditure of 'Honesty Stations'," said He Jian, deputy Party secretary of the Chengdu Culture & Tourism Group.
An organization named after the "Honesty Stations" is currently being registered. It is sponsored by the City Youth League, Chengdu Tourism Association and the Chengdu Culture & Tourism Group. Other related organizations are also expected to participate in the charitable activity.
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| A man buys goods at one of the "Honesty Station" stores. |