Hong Kong (CNN) -- Chen Guangbiao wants rich people in China to give more to charity and he'll do anything to get their attention.
That includes stacking piles of cash to form a wall for a photo op or dancing on the rooftops of brand new cars that he bought for a donation.
Chen's latest stunt involved buying lunch for underprivileged people in New York City and giving each person a cash gift. The free lunch took place on June 25 at Loeb Boathouse in Central Park.
That includes stacking piles of cash to form a wall for a photo op or dancing on the rooftops of brand new cars that he bought for a donation.
Chen's latest stunt involved buying lunch for underprivileged people in New York City and giving each person a cash gift. The free lunch took place on June 25 at Loeb Boathouse in Central Park.
"I have visited the U.S. every month since last November, I see many homeless people, poor people on the streets, searching for food in the garbage bins," Chen said when asked why he was going all the way to the U.S. to carry out his philanthropy.
Calling from his Shanghai office earlier this week, Chen spoke in an even, calm tone, without a hint of the goofball persona that he displays during his media events.
Chen publicized the mass lunch with full-page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, asking interested homeless people to sign up for the meal by email.
When we spoke to the millionaire, he said more than 5,000 people had signed up for the June 25 lunch. He was working with several U.S. charities to decide on the final guest list. One of them, the New York City Rescue Mission, told CNN last week that the $300 cash gift is a prize for completing one of their training or substance abuse programs.
Publicity with a purpose
Mission spokeswoman Michelle Tolson dismissed the idea that the event is a publicity stunt for Chen, saying they had vetted him. "It's not something we wanted to get into lightly," she said, citing her organization's 142-year history.
But for Chen, publicity is crucial. Handing out cash and buying lunches is not the long-term goal. The eccentric millionaire says he hopes to influence the rest of the world's rich and powerful to give more through his flashy charity antics, even though it makes him a target for ridicule.
"My wealth is very limited. I need to influence other people to give," says Chen, adding that those full-page ads in U.S. newspapers were written in both English and Chinese so that other well-heeled Chinese would get the message.
The tycoon founded Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources, an unlisted company that recycles construction material and domestic waste, but says that he "could not even make it onto China's top 10,000 rich list." Hurun has him at number 372 on their 2013 rich list, while Forbes reports Chen's fortune is worth the equivalent of $720 million (RMB4.5 billion ).
Calling from his Shanghai office earlier this week, Chen spoke in an even, calm tone, without a hint of the goofball persona that he displays during his media events.
Chen publicized the mass lunch with full-page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, asking interested homeless people to sign up for the meal by email.
When we spoke to the millionaire, he said more than 5,000 people had signed up for the June 25 lunch. He was working with several U.S. charities to decide on the final guest list. One of them, the New York City Rescue Mission, told CNN last week that the $300 cash gift is a prize for completing one of their training or substance abuse programs.
Publicity with a purpose
Mission spokeswoman Michelle Tolson dismissed the idea that the event is a publicity stunt for Chen, saying they had vetted him. "It's not something we wanted to get into lightly," she said, citing her organization's 142-year history.
But for Chen, publicity is crucial. Handing out cash and buying lunches is not the long-term goal. The eccentric millionaire says he hopes to influence the rest of the world's rich and powerful to give more through his flashy charity antics, even though it makes him a target for ridicule.
"My wealth is very limited. I need to influence other people to give," says Chen, adding that those full-page ads in U.S. newspapers were written in both English and Chinese so that other well-heeled Chinese would get the message.
The tycoon founded Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources, an unlisted company that recycles construction material and domestic waste, but says that he "could not even make it onto China's top 10,000 rich list." Hurun has him at number 372 on their 2013 rich list, while Forbes reports Chen's fortune is worth the equivalent of $720 million (RMB4.5 billion ).