On March 24, 2025, one of the 10 richest billionaires in China was present at Wuhan University (China) to directly award scholarships to 10 students, each worth 100,000 yuan (about 353 million VND). This is his annual gesture, according to Sohu .

30 years ago, at this same school, the billionaire was a poor student who received a scholarship worth 2,000 yuan (more than 7 million VND). At that time, he secretly told himself that one day he would repay this school 10,000 times. That is Lei Jun - the founder of Xiaomi phone company and one of China's leading technology entrepreneurs.

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From a student with a humble background, billionaire Lei Jun returned to show his gratitude to his old school 10,000 times more. Photo: Baidu

From poor student to top CEO

Lei Jun was born in 1969 in Hubei Province, China. Coming from an ordinary family, he showed his passion for technology early on. In 1987, he was admitted to the Department of Computer Science at Wuhan University and it took him only 2 years to graduate with honors from the university program.

During his studies, he received the school's highest scholarship - 2,000 yuan. For a student with limited financial resources, this amount of money was a great motivation for him to continue his studies.

After graduating, Lei Jun quickly asserted his talent in the technology industry. He worked at Chinese software company Kingsoft and gradually rose to the position of CEO.

In 2010, he founded Xiaomi with the goal of providing high-quality technology products at reasonable prices. In just over a decade, Xiaomi has become one of the world's leading technology corporations, putting Lei Jun's name on par with the great entrepreneurs in this field.

Promise fulfilled after 3 decades

On November 29, 2023, on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Wuhan University, Lei Jun surprised the public by announcing a donation of 1.3 billion yuan (about 4.59 trillion VND) to his former school. This is not only the largest donation in the history of Wuhan University but also the largest personal donation by an alumnus to a university in China.

The money is allocated to three main areas: Supporting basic research in six key disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history and philosophy), promoting technological innovation in the field of computer science and funding training programs for students.

Lei Jun emphasized that this is his way of fulfilling the promise he made to himself 30 years ago, and at the same time hopes that Wuhan University will continue to develop and nurture outstanding technological talents and scholars in the future.

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Chinese public opinion praises him not only as a talented businessman but also as someone who knows how to appreciate the values ​​that have helped him succeed. Photo: Baidu

In fact, before making this record donation, Lei Jun had a long journey with his alma mater. As early as 1997, just 6 years after graduating, he established the first scholarship fund called "Teng Fei Scholarship" (later changed to "Lei Jun Scholarship"). Over the past 28 years, this fund has supported hundreds of students from difficult circumstances or with excellent achievements.

In 2012, he continued to sponsor 10 million yuan (about 35 billion dong) to establish the initial Lei Jun Scholarship, awarded to 30 undergraduate students, 10 graduate students and 10 postgraduate students each year. Each person receives 20,000 yuan (about 70 million dong).

By 2023, he decided to increase the sponsorship level to 20 million yuan (about 70 billion VND) within 10 years and add the "Lei Jun Excellent Scholarship" with 10 scholarships each year, worth 100,000 yuan (about 353 million VND) each to encourage top talents.

In addition, he also established a scholarship specifically for students majoring in Computer Science and Cyber ​​Security at the school. Each year, about 100 students will be awarded scholarships worth 10,000 yuan each.

In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) about the billion-yuan donation, Lei Jun shared: "When I was a student, I lived on the school's scholarship for a long time. At that time, I vowed that after I became successful, I would repay the school 10,000 times. This money is not only to fulfill my promise, but also my way of contributing to the academic development of Wuhan University, helping to train more outstanding programmers and engineers."

Lei Jun's words and actions have received admiration from the Chinese public. Many people praise him not only as a talented businessman but also as a person who knows how to cherish the values ​​that have helped him succeed.

Wuhan University students also expressed their gratitude to the billionaire, considering him a shining example of gratitude and social responsibility.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhan-hoc-bong-cua-truong-doanh-nhan-quay-lai-bao-dap-gap-10-000-lan-sau-30-nam-2384638.html