Chinese Street Food Vendors Donate A Day's Earnings To Help Colleague Suffering From Cancer

In a heartwarming show of kindness, street food vendors in southeastern China came together to help one of their own who is battling cancer. The vendors donated a full day's earnings to support their colleague with his medical treatment, reported South China Morning Post.

The incident took place on a food street near Fujian Normal University in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on December 10. The stall holders were trying to help Zhang Jianwu, 50, who had been selling pan-fried meat cakes on the street before he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, according to a report by Fuzhou Daily.

After being diagnosed with the illness, Zhang closed his stall and began treatment at a nearby hospital. His family then appealed for help on social media, as the treatment costs were beyond their means. This appeal reached some university students, who widely shared it online.

Following this, food stall owners on the same street, including some of Zhang's business rivals, decided to donate a day's earnings to help him. On December 10, all the vendors replaced their own payment QR codes with Zhang's, so that all customer payments went directly into his bank account.

A poster displayed at a dessert shop announced that all desserts would be sold at a 20 percent discount, and all proceeds from that day would go to help Zhang. Many people were seen lining up at the stalls, and some customers even paid more than the asking price to contribute.

Gao, a vendor who sells steamed stuffed buns, said he earned more than 1,000 yuan that day, which he sent directly to Zhang. He said he had known Zhang Jianwu for the past year and described him as a kind and hardworking man who constantly strived to provide for his family.

According to Zhang's wife, Gong, a total of 20,000 yuan was raised in donations that day.