阅读理解
It looks exactly like other handicraft (手工艺品) shops in a traditional Chinese hutong or alley except that each item has a story．The city’s first-of-its-kind charity shop owned by Nathan Zhang sells Chinese handicrafts along with used books clothes and other items．The concept is that money from what is sold is donated to help rural (农村的) women in China．
“Many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) produce their own things but don’t have a place to sell it ”said Zhang who returned to Beijing in 2008 after working in Canada for nearly a decade in the telecommunications world．“A rural women’s group tried to open a little shop but only sold two things．When they put their products in my shop everything sold out．”
Located in Wudaoying Hutong in Dongcheng district Brand Nu’s walls are lined with handicrafts from a number of different NGO supported projects aimed at benefiting women across the country．The other half of the space is filled with almost brand-new clothes that have been donated from Beijing citizens．The jackets dresses tops and pants sell for around 30 yuan (＄4 . 40) each．
Most of the money Brand Nu gets goes directly to the Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women．The NGO offers a number of programs for poor women including literacy classes (识字班) support networks and mental health education．
Zhang is also working with a local Scottish designer to create a clothing line made from the fabric (织物) of second-hand garments．And he is collecting books and raising money to help the NGO build a library near Beijing．He plans on expanding his product line soon as well engaging more disadvantaged women to make sweaters soaps and other items that he can sell in Beijing to help raise their socioeconomic status in the countryside．
Yet with ambitions come worries．Right now Zhang is operating on a shoestring budget and looking for work on the side to support both his business and his family．“I wanted to do something meaningful ”said Zhang．“If you can help one woman you can help an entire family．”
