"Yidiandian" responds to funding a boy with a thousand-yuan watch: the watch was purchased with money pooled by the boy's relatives

According to Bailu Video, on February 28th, the milk tea brand “Yidian Dian” issued a statement in response to controversies such as “funding a boy to wear a thousand-yuan watch.”

“Yidian Dian” clarified two core misunderstandings circulating online:

1. Regarding the misunderstanding that “the assistance is not for families in severe hardship”

The watch worn by the child was purchased collectively by relatives. Due to the father’s health issues, the child often needs to go to his grandmother’s house. To contact family members promptly and ensure safety during travel, the watch was bought. The DJI camera belongs to a volunteer accompanying the child. The comic was personally purchased by a volunteer after learning of the child’s wish, as a gift. All assisted families have been verified on-site by government and charity organizations, confirming they are indeed families living in poor conditions with actual renovation needs, not randomly selected.

2. Regarding the misunderstanding that “funds for helping a girl are used to assist a boy”

The project does not restrict assistance by gender. In the “Dream Launchpad” project, the “Girl’s Peace Pack” is a dedicated aid program for girls. All related activities and descriptions have been publicly disclosed at the time of announcement.

Previous reports

Recently, the milk tea brand “Yidian Dian” posted on social media about helping a poor boy improve his learning environment, which sparked controversy. Some pointed out that the boy in the photo was wearing a phone watch and had comic books on the table, questioning whether he qualified for aid.

On February 27th, staff from Laodaohe Street Office in Kaifu District, Changsha City, stated that the boy’s family was indeed in difficulty, being a low-income household with a low-income certificate. The boy’s father has a third-degree mental disability and holds a disability certificate. “His father cannot work, and his parents are divorced.”

According to the staff, the boy is 11 years old, quite sensible, currently in fifth grade, living with his father, relying on his father’s low-income subsidy and a small allowance from his mother for basic living expenses.

The staff also mentioned that the aid process was directly coordinated between a social work organization and “Yidian Dian.” After the renovation was completed, the street office sent personnel to inspect the site. “Only one room was renovated for the child to study; other rooms were not changed. It seems that Yidian Dian staff also bought books and milk tea for the child.”

On the 27th, Jiupai News verified that the social work organization connecting the boy with “Yidian Dian” is a local social work center in Changsha. Its director, Mr. Luo, told reporters that one of the responsibilities of social workers is to connect charitable resources to help residents, communicate with donors, and screen eligible families, acting as a bridge.

A social worker from the center, Mr. Lan (pseudonym), was aware of the details. Mr. Lan told Jiupai News that the boy performs well academically, ranking in the top three in his class for a long time. “His grandmother, aunt, and uncle pooled money to buy him a watch worth 1,100 yuan, so he can contact his family.”

When asked whether this consideration or potential doubts were taken into account during the selection process, Mr. Lan responded, “We just want to do pure charity work. The child’s relatives were willing to buy him a watch for easy contact, and it’s also a reward for his good grades. We think there’s no problem with that.”

Regarding the comic books that caused controversy, Mr. Lan said that the comic books were bought after “Yidian Dian” staff visited the child’s home and asked about his wishes. The boy said he wanted to read comics, and staff bought them for him. “It’s unclear whether it was paid for personally or with charity funds.” Besides comic books, the books included versions of “The Thirty-Six Stratagems” in comic form.

In response to online doubts about the house size and whether the family is truly in financial hardship, Mr. Lan explained that the boy’s home is a rural self-built house, originally constructed by his grandfather’s generation. After his parents married, they moved in, and later had children. Now, his grandparents have passed away, and his parents are divorced. He lives with his father, who has a mental illness.

Regarding the aid process and standards, Mr. Lan said that companies interested in funding first contact the social work organization, which conducts home visits to identify eligible families for matching. According to the aid standards, only one learning room was funded for the boy’s family.

Facing online criticism, Mr. Lan, who has been engaged in charity work for over ten years, said, “I feel wronged as a charity worker. People do good deeds but are instead questioned.” He admitted that both social workers and funding companies hope that children can have better learning environments to study peacefully and live normally.

According to Tianyancha via Cover News, the company associated with “Yidian Dian” is Shenggen Catering Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., established in August 2011, with legal representative Lou Gengshen, registered capital of 8 million RMB. Its business scope includes catering services, information technology consulting, marketing planning, and more, wholly owned by Hongmei Holdings Ltd. External investment information shows that the company has invested in 11 enterprises, nine of which are active, including Donghai County Yuanhua Food Co., Ltd., and Henan Yusheng Catering Management Co., Ltd.

(Qilu Evening Post · Qilu Yidian Client Editor: Wu Xiuying, compiled from Jiupai News, Bailu Video, Cover News)