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China widow and family travel 1,000km to thank stranger who sends money for 4 years after fisherman husband died at sea

  • Man drowns at sea leaving wife, mother, 2 children in huge debt
  • Philanthropist supports family, says he will continue until children are 18

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A widow in China, who received monthly payments from a kind stranger for four years after her fisherman husband died at sea, has travelled 1,000 kilometres with her family to thank the benefactor after finding out his identity. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu
Alice Yanin Shanghai

A woman in China has travelled more than 1,000km to thank a benefactor who secretly sent her 1,500 yuan (US$200) each month after her fisherman husband died in an accident four years ago.

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With the help of the media in Zhoushan, eastern Zhejiang province, Meng Rui, 29, found the man who sent the financial help for her family, Jingzhou News reported.

Meng’s husband was drowned at sea in April 2020 when he worked as a fisherman for a company in the coastal city of Zhoushan.

His death was a huge blow for Meng, not least because he was the family’s sole breadwinner.

Compensation paid by his employer after his death, over 1.1 million yuan (US$150,000), was used to pay off debts he had accrued years before to treat his father’s serious illness.

Widow Meng Rui was left with significant debt after her fisherman husband died at sea. Photo: Baidu
Widow Meng Rui was left with significant debt after her fisherman husband died at sea. Photo: Baidu

Meng’s home is in a village in Queshan county, Henan province, central China. The couple have a son and a daughter who were eight years and seven months old respectively when the husband died, the report said.

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