Retired Chinese track star Liu Xiang donated all his 1.47 million yuan in benefits to disaster relief, hoping to care for hardworking retired athletes.
Liu Xiang, who retired 11 years ago, recently reached out to the relevant authorities on his own initiative. He transferred the entire 490,000 yuan severance payment he had just received, along with 980,000 yuan in various subsidies paid to him over the past 11 years while he was part of the state sports system—without keeping a single yuan for himself—to the China Charity Federation’s dedicated disaster relief account. The process of completing the relevant personnel formalities went very smoothly, and he did not make any additional demands.
As the most iconic athlete in the history of Chinese track and field, Liu Xiang’s name has always been inextricably linked to the gold medal he won in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the world record of 12.88 seconds he set at the 2006 Lausanne Grand Prix.At the peak of his career, he swept nearly every championship title in both domestic and international competitions; his commercial endorsement contracts were once booked years in advance; and his publicly verifiable career earnings totaled 535 million yuan—all derived from competition prize money and legitimate commercial partnerships. He had already completed sound financial planning before retiring and had no financial concerns.What is rarely mentioned is that after his retirement, his annual salary and benefits within the state system averaged less than 90,000 yuan.
While completing the donation procedures, Liu Xiang expressed only one hope to the staff members handling the matter: that the relevant authorities would provide greater support to retired athletes who had given their all to the nation’s sports cause. After withdrawing from both the Beijing and London Olympics due to injuries—a decision that sparked widespread controversy online—Liu Xiang has rarely appeared in the public eye and has quietly faded from the spotlight.
For people, material possessions are the foundation of life, but having a broad perspective, maintaining integrity, navigating both the highest peaks and the darkest valleys, and reaching out to help fellow travelers when you have the means—that is a deeper understanding of life.After witnessing enough examples of life, one comes to realize that offering a helping hand or a kind word to old friends who once struggled alongside you is the most genuine way to approach life.
