A Chinese high school student has raised enough money online to ease a funding shortfall that had stalled road works in his hometown.
Wang Zhicheng, a 16-year-old high schooler from east China's Shandong Province, visited his home village of Zhangmawei during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday and was shocked by the rugged roads there, which make it inconvenient for local people.
The village had planned to build new roads but was unable to raise 500,000 yuan (76,950 U.S. dollars) to cover construction work.
Wang launched a crowdfunding campaign on Feb. 22 on Tencent's instant messenger app WeChat to raise the much needed cash.
A week later, he had raised 30,025 yuan on WeChat, which he sent to the villagers committee.
Wang's fund raising also inspired other people from the village to chip in. They managed to raise more than 250,000 yuan, which, while less than the 500,000 budget, is enough to start construction.
The village further reduced the cost by hiring locals instead of construction firms. The first stage of the project involves the construction of a 600-meter-long road, which will help agricultural activities in the upcoming spring.
