Papa Wu, the monk who has rescued 600 pregnant (and abandoned) women in China

Before embarking on a life of monasticism, prior to his decision to become a guardian angel for pregnant women without resources and abandoned by their partners, and before he transformed his house into an orphanage, Wu Bing (49 years old) was a successful businessman with a flourishing cotton factory in Nantong, a bustling city on China’s east coast.

It was 12 years ago when Wu, who was married and had a young daughter, started going to a Buddhist temple in Nantong every day to meditate silently, finding solace in the scent of burning incense amidst the crisis brewing in his marriage. As fate would have it, he eventually got divorced and, driven by a surge of faith, made the life-altering decision to become a monk. He sold his factory, bid farewell to his comfortable urban lifestyle, and relocated to the mountains of Fujian province, seeking solace in a remote temple far from the clamor of the world.

Unfortunately, the tranquility and refuge from worldly woes that Wu had hoped to find in Fujian turned out to be quite the opposite. The secluded temple in Fujian had transformed into a peculiar sanctuary for pregnant women burdened with personal struggles.

The majority of these women, hailing from impoverished backgrounds, had been forsaken by their partners upon conceiving and lacked any financial support from their families. Additionally, there were also teenagers who concealed their pregnancies from their parents and sought guidance at the temple on whether to proceed with the pregnancy or consider other options.

Unintentionally, Wu found himself confronted with this harsh reality and made the heartfelt decision to assist these women. With a part of the dilapidated temple serving as a makeshift refuge, he opened a free shelter and wholeheartedly accompanied expectant mothers throughout their journey, from prenatal care to childbirth, shouldering all the associated expenses. With time, the temple transformed into a safe haven for dozens of newborns as well.

Through word of mouth, news spread across southern China of a refuge nestled in the Fujian mountains, offering respite to pregnant women and single mothers facing financial hardship. Consequently, an increasing number of women flocked to the temple, eventually leading the abbot to expel Wu, instructing him to find an alternative location for his shelter.

The determined monk then relocated to a villa in Zhejiang, located in eastern China, which he had purchased with the proceeds from selling his factory. This became the new home for his shelter, aptly named the Protective Dwelling.

Four years ago, Wu began sharing videos on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, documenting the daily life at the shelter. The videos garnered considerable attention on social media, attracting numerous donations. Capitalizing on the popularity of these videos, Wu and the women began selling vegetarian food and tea online to support the children’s upbringing. Volunteers from different corners of the country also started lending their support, offering to care for the infants.

The Chinese media caught wind of this remarkable story, and the monk quickly earned the affectionate nickname “Papa Wu.” In a recent Douyin video, Wu proudly proclaimed that since 2012, he has managed to rescue and support 600 single women who found themselves pregnant and unable to provide for their children.

In the poignant words of Papa Wu, “I once aided a woman who, at seven months pregnant, had just tragically lost her parents in a car accident, only to discover that her boyfriend had vanished, having emptied her bank accounts.”