{"id":500,"date":"2023-10-24T03:58:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/"},"modified":"2024-05-21T15:09:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T07:09:01","slug":"tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Day and Yellow River Soup Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>A British engineer sold 3 companies, a mansion, 2 sports cars, and came to Xi\u2019an, China to hand out steamed stuffed buns to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/jobs?type=marketing\">homeless<\/a>. Like that, 12 years have passed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>A British engineer sold 3 companies, a mansion, 2 sports cars, and came to Xi\u2019an, China to hand out steamed stuffed buns to the homeless. Like that, 12 years have passed.<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FmjZz7FDFwZMBcPjejlkCj4MpwTs?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"1.png\" width=\"589\" height=\"431.80707395498393\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#Tong_Day_in_TED_Talk_Photo_Youtube\" title=\"Tong Day in TED Talk Photo:Youtube\">Tong Day in TED Talk Photo:Youtube<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#This_picture_is_of_the_photo_stored_in_Tonys_cell_phone_showing_the_fancy_cars_and_mansion_he_used_to_own_Photo_chinasmack\" title=\"This picture is of the photo stored in Tony\u2019s cell phone showing the fancy cars and mansion he used to own. Photo:chinasmack\">This picture is of the photo stored in Tony\u2019s cell phone showing the fancy cars and mansion he used to own. Photo:chinasmack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#Photo_chinasmack\" title=\"Photo:chinasmack\">Photo:chinasmack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#Photo_chinasmack-2\" title=\"Photo:chinasmack\">Photo:chinasmack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#where_clothes_donated_by_charitable_people_have_filled_a_room_Tony_says_they_give_them_out_regularly_Photo_chinasmack\" title=\"where clothes donated by charitable people have filled a room. Tony says, they give them out regularly. Photo:chinasmack\">where clothes donated by charitable people have filled a room. Tony says, they give them out regularly. Photo:chinasmack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen\/#Tony_taking_a_group_photo_with_some_of_the_foreign_volunteers_Photo_chinasmack\" title=\"Tony taking a group photo with some of the foreign volunteers. Photo:chinasmack\">Tony taking a group photo with some of the foreign volunteers. Photo:chinasmack<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tong_Day_in_TED_Talk_Photo_Youtube\"><\/span>Tong Day in TED Talk Photo:Youtube<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Tony was an electronics engineer in the the UK\u2019s Royal Navy. After he retired from the military, he opened 3 companies, owned a mansion and 2 sports cars. Tony says, one day in 2002, he suddenly began to get weary of his busy life, and decided to sell his companies, his mansion and his cars, leave the UK, and <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"inside_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tag\/travel\/\" title=\"View all posts in travel\" >travel<\/a> around the world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fh-1uWlArnPyft0DEOw8JQojJdyz?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"2.jpg\" width=\"589\" height=\"883.5\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5>This picture is of the photo stored in Tony\u2019s cell phone showing the fancy cars and mansion he used to own. Photo:<a target=\"_blank\" class=\"inside_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tag\/china\/\" title=\"View all posts in china\" >china<\/a>smack<\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>It all began in late 2005 when Tony, who had been on the road for two years volunteering and visiting spiritual retreats, was encouraged to visit Xi\u2019an while on his way to India. While walking the streets one Thursday in December, Tony was approached by an old woman, a beggar, who was rather persistent in her quest for money.\u00a0 Not the type to just give money to the homeless, he refused her request yet she still followed him for several minutes. That evening during meditation, Tony reflected on the brief encounter and although he was not willing to give her money, he decided to track her down the next day and buy her lunch. Tony did manage to track the woman down and although she refused his offer of lunch, the seed had already been planted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Ftbtpy2gYXyOxDWNHDMShVEdSBbl?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"3.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_chinasmack\"><\/span>Photo:chinasmack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>In 2005, Tony founded the \u201cYellow River Soup Kitchen\u201d in Xi\u2019an. Tony says \u201cYellow River Soup Kitchen\u201d has two goals: providing help to those who need help, and providing a platform for people to help others. The handing out of steamed stuffed buns has gone from 1 day every week to 3 days every week. \u201cSome people say I shouldn\u2019t help them (the homeless people), that they have houses and cars in their hometowns.\u201d Tony says, \u201cWe don\u2019t go judge who is real and who is fake. The truth after all is that most homeless people are real, we can help them, and that\u2019s what gives what we do meaning\u2026\u201d Tony also uses a Chinese idiom \u201c\u7455\u4e0d\u63a9\u745c\u201d [xia bu yuan yu, one flaw does not obscure the splendor of the jade, the pros outweigh the cons] to describe this issue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FqN5XFCMcZnaZ_JxL030eI2QzwC2?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"4.jpg\" width=\"589\" height=\"785.3333333333334\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_chinasmack-2\"><\/span>Photo:chinasmack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>However, things were not always plain sailing from the start. As one can imagine, a foreigner walking around giving food to the homeless created a lot of mixed reactions. \u201cThere was at the time, and still is to some extent, a belief that many homeless on the street are not genuine and don\u2019t need help. At times there was verbal abuse from passersby on the street, yet there were also those that were interested in the charitable work and asked how they could help out,\u201d Tony explains. He attributes most of the adverse reactions he received to a lack of understanding, \u201cA soup kitchen in the west would be considered no big deal, but here it is no small thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the past ten years however, there has been a huge change in the way members of the public view the soup kitchen\u2019s work. Tony has witnessed this change first hand. \u201cWe did get a lot of verbal abuse (from members of the public), but we haven\u2019t had that for years and years. The changes which have taken place over those ten years are phenomenal\u2026there\u2019s much more of an understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FpYShxoOJIs1Q7ny_3_WtElmN5ST?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"45.jpg\" width=\"589\" height=\"841.4285714285714\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"where_clothes_donated_by_charitable_people_have_filled_a_room_Tony_says_they_give_them_out_regularly_Photo_chinasmack\"><\/span>where clothes donated by charitable people have filled a room. Tony says, they give them out regularly. Photo:chinasmack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Although Tony was the founder and the face of the soup kitchen, he is adamant in stating that the operation is a result of the joint efforts of each individual gets involved. In no way could the soup kitchen be what it is today had it not been for the collective energy of everyone who has volunteered over the past ten years. From the management to those serving the food and even down to the restaurant manager who provides the baozi at a non-profitable discount, each individual plays a vital role in the running and organization of the charity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fh8e-IoJxPzUpzC1bnf3CKyaj3PW?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"6.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tony_taking_a_group_photo_with_some_of_the_foreign_volunteers_Photo_chinasmack\"><\/span>Tony taking a group photo with some of the foreign volunteers. Photo:chinasmack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The next few years are looking bright for the soup kitchen as many new projects are coming to fruition. At present, the soup kitchen is collaborating on several projects.<\/p>\n<p>From its humble beginnings serving steamed buns outdoors, to its collaboration with international organisations, the soup kitchen has definitely become an important part of Xi\u2019an life for both the service users and volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>The soup kitchen serves meals three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 18:30 till 20:00. Volunteers are always welcome.<\/p>\n<p>The soup kitchen is a British registered NGO doing work here in Xi\u2019an and across China. For more information on the charity visit their web-site: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellowrivercharity.com.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.yellowrivercharity.com.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"GIC.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"543.2937181663837\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A British engineer sold 3 companies, a mansion, 2 sports cars, and came to Xi\u2019an, China to hand out steamed stuffed buns to the homeless. Like that, 12 years have &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[60,306,29,34,27,444,214],"class_list":["post-500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-funny","tag-china","tag-hiredchina","tag-jobs","tag-jobs-in-china","tag-news","tag-tony-day-and-yellow-river-soup-kitchen","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8719,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions\/8719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}