Tan Fang's "Good Samaritan" website (www. chinahaoren.cn)

The horrifying death of 2-year-old Yueyue shocked China last October. Run over by two cars and left to die on the side of the road by 18 passers-by until a migrant worker found her, the little girl seemed a symbol of the country's moral decay. People swore to try and do better themselves.

But Tan Fang, a professor at South China Normal University in Guangdong Province, has already spent years advocating warmth and good deeds in a rather cold, materialistic society. Three years ago, he set up a website to collect money to help good Samaritans who found themselves on tough times.

Last March, he set up a foundation to help people who found themselves in legal trouble after rescuing elderly people who had fallen. It provides both financial and legal aid.

"Those who make sacrifices to save somebody else should be highly praised, rewarded and protected to help encourage more people to do good deeds," the tall, slim professor said in his small college office. The office, stacked with three computers, exhibition boards and countless flyers, also serves as the headquarters for his charitable efforts.

Warm hearts

Tan has been teaching the ideological and moral courses in the college for 25 years.

Once, when he was giving a lecture on the heroic deeds of past figures such as Kong Fansen, a deputy mayor of Lhasa famous for donating his salary and time to the poor, and who died in 1994 in a traffic accident, his students giggled and said they didn't believe there were such saintly figures nowadays.

Tan was stunned.

"The world has changed. People don't believe there are good people all around us. This makes the world colder," Tan said.

But the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, where millions of Chinese donated to help victims, revived Tan's belief in his fellow citizens. He launched his website on May 19.

"My goal was clear: to establish the first-class non-profit charity website and advocate the spirit of helping others," Tan told the Global Time.

Tan stumped up 20,000 yuan ($3,170) to launch the website and set up the fund.

Tan excitedly recalled the first good Samaritan the fund rewarded. A crippled beggar in Guangzhou made four donations to the Sichuan victims. Tan found the beggar and rewarded him with 500 yuan.

Tan and his volunteers update the website almost every day. They publish the newest stories on good Samaritans, keep open books on the use of the donations the funds receive, and publicize events the foundation host.

So far, Tan has received 500,000 yuan in donations and helped more than 50 people. He would collect enough information and make specific investigation before donating to the potential good Samaritans. But he admitted it was sometimes difficult to decide who deserved help.

 "I have to do it carefully, otherwise public trust will be destroyed," Tan said. He travels to research individual cases himself, rather than just relying on media accounts.

Hard to do good

Tan discussed a couple of famous cases. This June, Xu Yunhe got out of his car in Tianjin to help an old lady who had fallen while climbing over some railings and took her to hospital. Xu was later brought to court by the lady, who claimed his car had hit her. Although traffic police found no evidence that Xu's car had struck the old lady, Xu was ordered by the court to pay 100,000 yuan in compensation, saying there was the possibility that the old lady fell for fear of being struck by the approaching car.

In another case in Nanjing in 2006, a young man helped an old lady, who later took him to court and accused him of pushing her over, where he was ordered to pay more than 40,000 yuan in compensation.

As a result of such greed and selfishness, many have come to the conclusion that people should think twice before rushing to the help of anyone in need, elderly people in particular.

Tan Fang views different. "You should help elderly people who have fallen down without hesitation. If the elderly blackmail you, we will provide legal aid for you. If you lose the lawsuit, we will compensate you,"he said.

Tan called Xu Yunhe, agreed to pay the compensation, and rewarded him with 10,000 yuan for his good deed.

"Xu is innocent. Kind-hearted people should be treated justly, so that more people will extend their help," Tan said firmly.

Tan also provides legal aid. More than 60 lawyers have volunteered to provide counsel to those who had gotten into trouble after helping the elderly.

The foundation has handled three cases, but the clients in two cases eventually gave up claiming their innocence through legal channels.

Weary with fame

Tan's foundation has become famous, and today Tan receives more than 100 phone calls a day. Only a few cases eventually pass his standards, but he answers and records each and every call carefully.

"I cannot hang up on them. Maybe they see us as their last resort," an exhausted Tan said.

Fame is a double-edged sword and Tan admitted he has faced many criticism. Some of his colleagues queried his work and accused him of seeking for fame and money.

"I was fully prepared for such criticisms," Tan said. He is careful to record every donation and show the public how it's used.

Luckily, Tan's family is supportive. His mother donates 100 yuan to the fund every month and his relatives also make donations.

Tan said he felt lucky he was born in a compassionate family. Tan's parents are famous in his hometown in Huanggang, Hubei Province, for their good deeds. Tan's father, a local procurator, often helped people out of his own pocket.

"The website has helped improve the general social conduct and prevented society from the moral decay," said Zhang Yaocan, a professor on political science and law at Central China Normal University and one of Tan's teachers when he was in college.

But Tan's closest assistants are his own students. There are more than 500 students working as volunteers. "You taught us the importance of being a good man through your own practices," one graduate told Tan.