SHENZHEN: To most people, a pair of bright eyes is the window through which they explore the whole world around them. So vital is that window that they will not abandon it, even as life itself draws to a close.

But two people in Foshan a city 20 kilometers southwest of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province proved to be different. By arranging for their corneas to be donated to those in need after they pass away, they put action behind a simple wish: to let more people see this beautiful world.

Jian Jie donated his corneas to the Zhongshan Eye Center just before his death in February 1999. Xiao Li, a primary school teacher from Shunde District, donated her corneas to an eye bank in Shenzhen before she died in April 2005.