Da Ai e-Radio Saved My Life

By Chen Mei-yi (陳美羿)
Abridged and translated by Kim Ning (甯素青)

Da Ai e-Radio Saved My Life

By Chen Mei-yi (陳美羿)
Abridged and translated
by Kim Ning (甯素青)

"Wherever you are, as long as you have Internet access, you can tune in to Da Ai e-Radio. That's how a Tzu Chi volunteer, Zhao Ziliang (趙子亮), in Beijing got to know about Tzu Chi…" a Da Ai e-Radio program hostess at Tzu Chi's cultural center in Taipei explained to a group of Tzu Chi volunteers visiting from China.

"That's me! I am Zhao Ziliang." A tall young man stood up from the group, pleasantly surprising the hostess.

Back when Zhao was a sophomore at a normal university in Hebei Province, he hit a low point in life. At the time, he felt at a loss and didn't know what to do with his life. He often sobbed uncontrollably and could not keep his emotions in check. He skipped classes and did not interact with others at all. "I even thought of taking my own life," said Zhao.

As he was on the verge of collapse, a delightful greeting, "Good morning! You are listening to Da Ai e-Radio…" wafted into his ears. He listened and slowly began to felt relaxed. He soon set Da Ai e-Radio as the homepage on his computer. "It's easier for me to tune in to it," said Zhao. He even started logging in to the radio's chat room to talk to other listeners.

One time, he expressed his wish to serve as a volunteer in the chat room. Another listener heard him and contacted a Tzu Chi volunteer in Beijing for him. The volunteer then contacted Zhao and took him to a winter aid distribution event in Laiyuan, Hebei, which happened to be his hometown. When he saw how Tzu Chi volunteers bowed to his fellow townsfolk with respect when handing out aid supplies to them, he was deeply moved. From then on, as long as he had free time, he'd go to Beijing by train to take part in Tzu Chi's events.

After graduating from college, Zhao found a job near Tzu Chi's office in Beijing. He often went to the office to help with anything he could do, such as washing dishes, cleaning the restrooms, moving stuff, etc. He is now a documenting volunteer for Tzu Chi Beijing and is busy recording events and writing articles for Tzu Chi.

In 2013, Zhao told a Da Ai e-Radio program hostess visiting Beijing that he had a girlfriend and was getting married. Not long afterwards, he announced in the chat room, "I'm going to be a father soon!"