The late pop diva Coco Lee helped an elderly farmer in central China to sell oranges so he could get home for Lunar New Year, prompting tears from 83-year-old Zhang Wanghan as he remembered her act of kindness.
Lee’s death on July 5 at the age of 48 has prompted a massive outpouring of grief on mainland social media, with many recalling their encounters with the Hong Kong pop star.
“I’ve always remembered her kindness. I am grateful for her. Since I did not have her telephone number, I could not contact her to express my gratitude,” a tearful Zhang said, according to The Paper.
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Li Xiaoyang, a volunteer with a public welfare NGO based in Hunan province, said Lee was appearing on a programme at a TV station in the provincial capital Changsha in January 2016 when she heard about an old man selling oranges on the cold, snowy street.
The volunteers at Li’s organisation told Lee that Zhang was sleeping on the roadside when he wasn’t selling his fruit as he had nowhere to go in the city.
With the Lunar New Year holiday looming, he could not get back to his village – more than 400km (250 miles) east of Changsha – until he had sold all of the oranges, according to the report.
“Coco said she’d like to offer her help. As her flight was delayed that day, she asked her sister and mother to buy the oranges from the old farmer,” Li said.
With the help of the volunteers, Lee’s sister and mother found Zhang and bought 50kg (110lbs) of oranges from him. They also gave four boxes of health enhancing products, two quilted jackets and 2,000 yuan (US$280) in cash to the farmer and his wife.
The star shared the oranges with the other singers and staff on the television show but her generosity did not stop there, according to the report.
When she heard that Zhang’s fellow villagers were all having difficulty selling their fruit, Lee then used her appearance on the programme to call on local residents to buy the produce.
In just a few days, the entire village was out of stock, thanks to Lee’s appeal, Zhang said.
The story has received widespread attention on mainland social media and touched millions of people on the internet in just a few days.
“I cried. I think when this grandpa heard of the death of Coco, he would also feel heartache. Rest in peace, Coco!” one person said.
“She is such a good-hearted girl. I hope she can be happy in another world and be kind to herself,” another wrote.
“She is an all-round, highly-qualified idol. With good character, kindness, patriotic and beautiful songs. I am very sorry that we’ve lost her forever,” one comment read.
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