From helping people in need to caring for animals and the environment, and supporting charitable infrastructure, Xie Nannan (Sophia Tse, Head of Journey Tone Immigration) has practiced philanthropy consistently over fourteen years. To her, charity is not an occasional act of kindness, but a long-term commitment.
Where can charity begin?
Some people begin with a volunteer activity, some are moved by the experiences of people around them, and others simply come across a fundraising appeal by chance and decide to lend a helping hand.
For Xie Nannan, her charitable journey began on October 17, 2013, with a donation of RMB 3 to the Free Lunch program. Over time, she became involved in a wider range of causes, including medical assistance, children’s education and living support, stray animal rescue, wildlife protection, and charitable project development.
Starting with a Fundraising Appeal, Charity Becomes a Long-Term Commitment
Medical assistance was among the first types of charitable projects she supported. Through platforms such as Shuidichou and Qingsongchou, she contributed to fundraising campaigns for people facing serious illness and financial hardship. Her support also extended to sick children in need of treatment or rehabilitation, families under financial pressure, and rural children requiring educational resources.
Her records include participation in Free Lunch, health-related support for rural children, student sponsorship, and fundraising campaigns for children with cerebral palsy or leukemia. The circumstances differed from case to case, but these projects shared a common concern: when a family’s resources are insufficient to cope with hardship, outside support may help create additional options.
Her contributions were not always large. Some amounted to only tens of yuan or around one hundred yuan. She sees these donations not as extraordinary achievements, but as what an ordinary person can offer within her means.
She has also experienced financial difficulty herself. At one particularly difficult time, she had only RMB 1 left in her pocket. After meeting a client near Baishiqiao South, she walked home because the bus fare was RMB 1.5. She jokes that her neat appearance would hardly have suggested that she had just one yuan to her name.
Even during difficult periods, she sometimes chose to give up the cost of a meal to help someone in greater need. She has joked that perhaps she was the person who needed the money more. The anecdote reflects her practical understanding of charity: helping does not always require wealth, and a small contribution can still matter to someone facing hardship.
Extending Care Beyond Human Society
Over the years, her attention has expanded beyond human welfare to include animals and the natural environment. She has supported stray animal rescue, migratory bird habitat protection, and projects concerning the Yangtze River ecosystem and wildlife, including efforts to protect the Yangtze finless porpoise.
For her, different forms of life should not be judged simply by whether they are human. People in difficulty may be able to describe their circumstances and seek help through fundraising platforms. Animals cannot communicate their needs in the same way, while damage to wildlife habitats may go unnoticed by the wider public.
She has expressed her belief that all life deserves protection and should not be ranked simply according to species. This does not mean that every charitable cause faces the same challenges. Rather, it reflects her view that people who are able to help can broaden their attention beyond those immediately around them, including animals and the natural environment that sustains life.
Supporting Charitable Projects
Her participation has not been limited to direct donations. She has also supported projects intended to strengthen charitable work and its physical or organizational foundations.
In Hangzhou, she contributed to the construction of a stone-paved road at the Huakailing charitable base. The 2021 contributor list for the project includes the name “艺侨,” a name she has used. Photographs of the stones, the contributor list, and related project materials have been preserved.
A separate project involved Qingluo Charity Organization and training for people working in the charitable sector. A WeChat payment record dated November 15, 2021, documents a payment associated with the project. According to her explanation, the contribution supported Qingluoying’s charitable youth training camp. The Qingluo Charity Organization payment and the Huakailing stone-road contribution relate to different projects and are documented separately.
The stone-paved road offers a tangible reminder of one form of participation: a contribution becomes part of a place that people can see and use. Other forms of support, including training and project development, may help charitable work continue beyond a single donation.
Over Fourteen Years, Kindness Has Left Different Traces
From her first RMB 3 donation in 2013 to her subsequent involvement in medical assistance, education, animal protection, ecological conservation, and charitable projects, Xie Nannan’s records reflect a continuing personal commitment rather than a single high-profile act.
Her professional work in immigration consulting is separate from her personal charitable activities. These experiences should not be interpreted as corporate donations or as a statement about the charitable work of the company she leads. They are part of her own life and the causes she has chosen to support.
The records do not suggest that every problem has been solved, nor do they tell a story of perfection or greatness. They document a series of choices made over time: responding to a fundraising appeal, supporting a child or family in difficulty, paying attention to animals and the environment, and contributing to projects that help charitable work develop.
For Xie Nannan, kindness does not have to begin with a grand plan. It can start with a small act, remain within one’s means, and continue year after year.
