Lin Shengbin walks out of Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court after nanny Mo Huanjing is sentenced to death on the first trial on Feb 9, 2018. (PHOTO / VCG)

The Red Cross Society of China Hangzhou Branch published a list of supplies donated by citizens for the prevention and control of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on the Hangzhou Daily on Friday.

One donor in particular, grabbed people's attention. His name was Lin Shengbin.

Lin, 40, lost his wife and three children in a fire. When he was on a business trip out of town, his family was killed by the fire set by the live-in domestic helper.

The fire got out of control after it was started by the helper so that she could claim credit for putting it out and bolster her claim for a wage rise.

Lin, despite the heartbreak, continued helping others in need.

By Jan 28, Lin had donated 5,000 masks, worth 90,000 yuan (US$12,800) to a local hospital, just one of his many acts of kindness.

"Hangzhou is short of masks, so I will make donations to the city where I live first," Li noted, adding he has collected another 1,000 masks and will send them to local hospitals soon.

"Face masks are hard to get these days, and I am trying to buy some for people who really need them," Lin added.

He is still working on collecting face masks by contacting sellers both at home and abroad.

The fire took place on June 22, 2017. The helper, Mo Huanjing, lit a book then the sofa and the living room curtains. She intended to put out the fire to make her appreciative employers give her money to show their gratitude.

But, as the fire raged out of control, Mo got scared and ran away.

The Zhejiang High People's Court upheld the death sentence for Mo in 2018.

The sorrow was and is overwhelming, but Lin still believes in humanity and doing good.

According to an article published on we-media account, Zhouchong's yingxiangshenghuo, only two months after the tragedy, Lin donated 2,000 items of clothing and 50,000 yuan to the inhabitants of the Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan province after an earthquake.

In October, Lin volunteered at a local welfare establishment, cutting hair for elderly people. Later he sent 600 items of clothing.

In March of 2018, Lin visited Daliang Mountains in the southwest of Sichuan. He brought a cart full of clothes and stationery for the children, and later established a primary school by Lugu Lake on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

Together with his friends, Lin set up the Tongzys public welfare fund to improve fire prevention and safety measures and awareness in high-rise residential buildings.

In October, Lin opened an online clothing store on Taobao.

Lin donates 10 percent of the revenue to poverty-stricken areas.

Hundreds of thousands of people have expressed their heartfelt gratitude at his kindness.

Lin wrote on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, that doing good for other people helps him deal with his grief.

"It's nothing… I think every Chinese citizen would want to contribute," Lin said.

Lin is living his life just like a verse he posted on Weibo. "I want the poor to be free from famine; I want the sick to be free from sadness; I want the old to be free from aging; I want the dead to be peaceful and serene."

"Life is uncertain, always carry a kind heart."

Contact the writer at xuhaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn