I read an article by Chen Guangbiao titled "Let me make your dreams to give come true" on the Global Times on Monday, which seemed like his official response to the public after his high-profile charity activity in New York. 

I admire Chen's bravery and psychological strength in the face of so much criticism. But still, I don't approve of his approach to philanthropy. His actions made him more like a condescending nouveau riche instead of a real caring philanthropist.

What Chen has been doing might have brought real material benefits to the underprivileged, whether at home or abroad, but in the eyes of many people, he is behaving like one of the Beverly Hillbillies, and pursuing a boost to his reputation in the name of charity.

I dare not question Chen's good intentions to contribute so much to this noble cause, nor do I know whether his intentions are really directed at the well-being of the disadvantaged.

But the problem is, according to the public opinion, only a minority of people approve of Chen's method, saying it has crossed the bottom line of being a philanthropist.

Chen boasted that he is an effective philanthropist because he organized many charity events, most of which featured eye-catching moves such as the on-site distribution of cash to the poor. Showing stacks of yuan to the public was a headline-grabbing move, but he didn't realize that charity is based on equality and mutual respect. Telling the whole world that you are offering money to the poor can easily give those people hard feelings that they are underprivileged in material life.

Chen said what he was doing should make Chinese people proud. I don't agree with this, either. Philanthropy is for the well-being of all humankind, and it should never be a field for competition or an exhibition of patriotism.

Helping some poor New Yorkers will do little to help promote China's international image. In fact, such an astounding way of distributing $300 cash to some disadvantaged has already raised eyebrows among many, including Americans.

As a generous man, Chen probably needs a bit more internationalism if he would like to expand his charity work. If benevolence becomes another form of propaganda, it will lead to shame instead of pride.

In his article, it seems that Chen really believed such a high-profile exhibition of his charity activities is an effective way to urge other billionaires like him to be devoted to philanthropy. But I really doubt it.

In fact, what he did was often described as a "stunt" by both traditional and social media, and his approach is hardly likely to be followed by his fellow billionaires, because most of them probably don't have such a desire and courage to court publicity. If they want to engage in philanthropy, these rich people are likely to prefer a more robust way, which is realistic.

Considering that the concept of corporate citizenship has just been set up in China, the major impetus that drives many Chinese rich people to be philanthropists is anything but an opportunity to publicize their enterprises. That is why Chen's publicity approach, which is very likely to backfire, and his promise to donate all his wealth, will hardly be widely accepted.

However, Chen deserves to be called an explorer in terms of blazing a new path for Chinese philanthropy. His work, to some extent, has managed to draw public attention to certain social problems.

But such an eye-catching way will not ensure the sustainability of his charity activities. He needs to think it over, and make his devotion to philanthropy a lifelong undertaking instead of a farce.

Wen Dao, a Beijing-based commentator