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Charity in China dates back to Mencius
By Ma Guihua |
January 1, 2010, Friday
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ABOUT one month ago, Chen Fashu, chairman of the New Huadu Industrial Group based in south China's Fujian Province, found himself in the middle of a controversy after declaring that he would set up the country's largest private philanthropic fund.
Chen, ranked 15th on the 2009 list of wealthiest people in Hurun China, promised to endow the New Huadu Philanthropic Fund with 8.3 billion yuan (about US$1.2 billion) worth of equity, 45 percent of his personal wealth.
The goodwill move was greeted with more skepticism than appreciation. Charitable donations in the form of equity have no precedence in China. Many critics question the motives of the fund, arguing it could be intended as a means of tax evasion.
But Xu Yongguang, who masterminded Project Hope, the charity enlisting nationwide resources to support basic education in rural China, insisted: "Whatever the motives, it is money for a good cause. Tax avoidance is not something to be ashamed of if it's legitimate."
Charitable giving is not a novelty in China. Around 2,300 years ago, the philosopher Mencius advocated that a man should do good for his society when he is better off and able to do so.
However, the tradition declined in the last few decades as people were engrossed in pursuing personal wealth in the newly introduced market economy.
The decline didn't last long. The country's increasing income disparity became a wake-up call to many of the newly wealthy beneficiaries of China's reform and opening economic policies.
Against this backdrop, Xu Yongguang's Project Hope emerged. Since 1989, the initiative under the China Youth Development Foundation has raised over 5.7 billion yuan, building more than 15,000 Hope primary schools and assisting more than three million children in schooling.
"The 5.7 billion yuan money raised could only build a seven-kilometer-long subway in Shanghai. But the schools sponsored by Project Hope have accounted for 4 percent of the country's rural primary schools," said Xu.
To date, there are 414,000 registered charity organizations in China, engaging in services including health, culture, education, and environment.
"China is moving toward a modern society in terms of charitable giving," said Yang Tuan, deputy director of the Social Policy Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
She believes that charity is a powerful force that brings people together in today's China. "In a society in transition, charity is an ideology accepted by the majority."
(The author is a feature writer at Xinhua news agency. Shanghai Daily condensed the article.)
Chen, ranked 15th on the 2009 list of wealthiest people in Hurun China, promised to endow the New Huadu Philanthropic Fund with 8.3 billion yuan (about US$1.2 billion) worth of equity, 45 percent of his personal wealth.
The goodwill move was greeted with more skepticism than appreciation. Charitable donations in the form of equity have no precedence in China. Many critics question the motives of the fund, arguing it could be intended as a means of tax evasion.
But Xu Yongguang, who masterminded Project Hope, the charity enlisting nationwide resources to support basic education in rural China, insisted: "Whatever the motives, it is money for a good cause. Tax avoidance is not something to be ashamed of if it's legitimate."
Charitable giving is not a novelty in China. Around 2,300 years ago, the philosopher Mencius advocated that a man should do good for his society when he is better off and able to do so.
However, the tradition declined in the last few decades as people were engrossed in pursuing personal wealth in the newly introduced market economy.
The decline didn't last long. The country's increasing income disparity became a wake-up call to many of the newly wealthy beneficiaries of China's reform and opening economic policies.
Against this backdrop, Xu Yongguang's Project Hope emerged. Since 1989, the initiative under the China Youth Development Foundation has raised over 5.7 billion yuan, building more than 15,000 Hope primary schools and assisting more than three million children in schooling.
"The 5.7 billion yuan money raised could only build a seven-kilometer-long subway in Shanghai. But the schools sponsored by Project Hope have accounted for 4 percent of the country's rural primary schools," said Xu.
To date, there are 414,000 registered charity organizations in China, engaging in services including health, culture, education, and environment.
"China is moving toward a modern society in terms of charitable giving," said Yang Tuan, deputy director of the Social Policy Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
She believes that charity is a powerful force that brings people together in today's China. "In a society in transition, charity is an ideology accepted by the majority."
(The author is a feature writer at Xinhua news agency. Shanghai Daily condensed the article.)
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