In Harbin, there is such a thing as a free lunch

Since its opening in September 2014, a vegetarian restaurant in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, has provided free lunches for nearly 130,000 people.

"Most of them are the elderly, taxi drivers, sanitation workers and migrant workers," said Li Qiuling, 51, one of the founders. "Every day we will prepare four different dishes, a soup and several kinds of staple food. Anyone can get enough food here without payment."

Four years ago, when Li visited Changchun, capital of Jilin province, she was deeply impressed by a scene she saw in a similar restaurant.

"People had lunch in the restaurant without making any noise and every dish was finished up," she said. "Since then, I was inspired to create a similar one."

After several months' preparation, she and 16 volunteers set up the restaurant.