A billionaire couple who pioneered internet games in China are donating $115m to the California Institute of Technology for brain research in an effort to help humans accept mortality.
The gift by Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo, founders of Shanda — which began life as an online games developer before transforming into an investment group with stakes in Lending Club and Legg Mason — underlines the increasingly prominent role played by mainland Chinese entrepreneurs in global philanthropy.
“How can we cure death? That is the key of our philanthropy vision,” Mr Chen told the Financial Times. Understanding how the brain and mind worked would enable people to master emotions such as pain and fear.