CHEN CHUNWEI, a 21-year-old dwarf who begs in Shenzhen for a living, has become well-known since last November, when he donated 100 yuan (US$12.99) he had just received to a girl in critical condition.

However, the handicapped young man plans to return to his hometown in a remote village in Henan Province during the upcoming golden week and might not come back to Shenzhen.

"I may continue begging in another city after the May Day holiday, just to make a living and try my luck there," he said. Chen has lived in Shenzhen for more than one year.

Despite his newfound fame, Chen is still a penniless man living with his father and grandmother under a pedestrian bridge near the railway station. A matting and a quilt are the only belongings they own.

Every morning, Chen goes out to beg with his grandmother and returns home with his father at night. On average he receives between 30 to 40 yuan daily.

Huaqiangbei and the Shenzhen Railway Station are two places the young man can be most frequently seen at. Chen's father Chen Shouxue, 44, picks up scraps from rubbish heaps.

"My younger brother, also handicapped, and two little sisters live in Henan Province," he said. Chen and his father send 700 yuan back home every month to support the rest of the family.

Chen's dream is to have enough money to cure his little brother's disease and send his sisters to school. But he didn't regret donating the 100 yuan to the seriously ill girl.

The girl needed 200,000 yuan immediately for an operation that would save her life. Chen's charitable act was hailed by netizens and carried by major newspapers and Web sites across the country.

"I didn't know her before, but felt that she needed the money more than I did. She needed the surgery to survive," he said.

A Chinese Internet user living in the United States was touched by Chen's kindness and sent 2,200 yuan to him.

Even today, people come up to him to ask whether he is the "charitable beggar."

Editor: Wing