TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Miaoli County Magistrate Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦) donated NT$1 million (US$30,400) in scholarships for rural students on Sunday.

Since 2019, Chung has donated NT$1 million yearly to local education before the Lunar New Year, per CNA. His funds will be divided into NT$5,000 portions to 200 students from Toufen City, Sanwan Township, and Nanzhuang Township.

At a Hsing Hua Senior High School ceremony in Toufen, Chung said he was born into a miner’s family in Nanzhuang Township, a rural town in northern Miaoli, and experienced poverty firsthand, per UDN. Despite financial hardship, his family stayed strong and united.

“Back when we were students, we had to wake up two to three hours early to take buses from rural areas to other towns or counties for school,” Chung said in a Facebook post.

“The lack of educational resources in rural areas, combined with inconvenient transportation, made attending good schools even more challenging,” Chuang added. He encouraged students to not only focus on academics but also to appreciate their parents and teachers.

Chung also announced that the county government, in collaboration with businesses, had raised NT$5.5 million in scholarships this year. The subsidies will support underprivileged students and encourage outstanding pupils in Miaoli County.