Over 20 years ago, a young man visited one of Henan Province's notorious AIDS villages. Today, he is a 53-year-old loving "father" of 30,000 children.

"One Day at a Cafe" is ostensibly a record of a typical working day at a cafe on Nanjing West Road in Shanghai. In reality, though, it is the story of the last two decades in the life of a remarkable man named Chung To.

In the AIDS village, Chung met a number of parents who were dying of AIDS-related illnesses. Most had contracted HIV as a result of being given tainted blood. Time after time they told him, "Although I'm dying, I'm very concerned about my children's future." The heart-rending admission moved Chung so much that it would change the course of his life.

In 1998, Chung To established the Chi Heng Foundation to provide education, vocational training, psychological and art healing, as well as summer camp activities for children who had lost one or both parents to AIDS. To date, the foundation has helped nearly 30,000 of these orphans. Those who show an aptitude for study are supported through college. Among those with other abilities, some are given work at the Village 127 Café he established especially in Shanghai.

In a 2005 speech at Peking University, Chung To explained his vision for the AIDS orphans. "When they're grown up in a few years' time, they'll have no relatives in the villages, no rural place to stay or reminisce about," he said. This meant that most would migrate to the cities to find work. 

"But it may be hard to find a job," he said. "They may not be educated or their education level is low. They may easily get into bad habits. They may be marginalized, turn bad, join a triad, become a robber, and so on. There are potentially a lot of social problems." 

The solution he offered, was to provide vocational training in the cities to help them find work.

"AIDS orphans,, as defined by the Chi Heng Foundation, are young people, one or both of whose parents are infected with HIV. They receive financial support whether their parents are living or dead and regardless of whether they themselves are HIV-positive – although those employed at the Village 127 Café must be free of infection.

Another of Chung To's initiatives is to act as a matchmaker when the youngsters he has been helping reach marriageable age. So far, he has brought 68 AIDS-orphan couples together and they have produced 72 babies, all of them healthy.

Invariably, "Daddy To," as he is affectionately known, is invited to the wedding. 

Today, on the 31st World AIDS Day, nearly 30,000 rural Chinese children and young adults affected by AIDS will be expressing thanks to "Daddy To" – the man who has devoted over 20 years of his life to making sure that they can grow up confident, happy, and healthy.