Zhu Rongji was once a super best-selling author, and his donated royalties made him a "unique philanthropist."
On October 28, 2014, the "2014 Hurun Philanthropy List" was announced, and among those on the list, former Premier Zhu Rongji drew particular attention.
The Hurun Philanthropy List specifically pointed out that Zhu Rongji, the former Premier of the State Council, made the list as a political figure and is a "unique philanthropist." In the past year, Zhu Rongji donated all the royalties from his books, "Zhu Rongji on the Record" and "Zhu Rongji's Speeches in Shanghai," to the Shishi Education Foundation, totaling 23.98 million yuan (about 14.53 million ringgit) in aid.
From 2009 to 2013, "Zhu Rongji Answers Journalists," "Zhu Rongji on the Record," and "Zhu Rongji's Speeches in Shanghai" were published one after another and caused a national sensation. In his 10 years of retirement, Zhu Rongji published 3 collections with a total of 6 books, each selling over a million copies, making him a best-selling author. In 2016, the deluxe edition with CD of "Zhu Rongji Answers Journalists" was released seven years after the original edition. Talking about the reason for republishing the book, Huang Shuyuan, president of People's Publishing House, said: "It was mainly in response to the requests of a large number of readers. Back when Premier Zhu Rongji held press conferences, each one was highly anticipated and attracted huge crowds. Today, readers still wish to see firsthand the style and demeanor of a great nation's Premier."
Zhu Rongji had a simple and compassionate heart for the people. The last article in "Zhu Rongji on the Record," titled "Vigorously Develop Public Transportation," reads: "Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. On behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, I extend my New Year greetings to everyone, wishing you all a happy Spring Festival... We must ensure that people can access buses everywhere and that taxi drivers both male and female are available everywhere, so that getting around is very convenient. There should be no need for everyone to buy a private car and have to look after it all day long."
After the books were published, Zhu Rongji successively donated all royalties, totaling more than 40 million yuan (about 24.24 million ringgit), which were delivered by the publisher to the Shishi Education Foundation that he established, to support teachers and students in poor areas and to carry out other public welfare activities.
Meanwhile, every year the official website of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management features news about Zhu Rongji attending advisory board activities. He is the first dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University and the honorary chairman of the school's advisory board.