More than 100 individuals and entities will receive China
Charity Awards at the China Charity Conference, to be held from
November 20 to 21.
Individuals including Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan,
business tycoons Li Ka-shing and Fok Ying Tong, and "Blood-donation
champion" Gao Yonghua will be presented with awards to recognize
their outstanding contributions to China's charities.
This is the first time that China is presenting these awards.
They will be presented annually
"We want to encourage society to support the charity cause
through governmental operations and cultivate a culture of charity
across the country," Dou Yupei, spokesman for the Ministry of Civil
Affairs, told a press conference.
The main assessment standards for the award are donation amounts
(for monetary contributions) and frequency of donations. Anyone
whose donations account for a certain proportion of their incomes
qualify for the award, organizers said.?
The China Charity Conference, to be held this Sunday, is
sponsored by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Charity
Federation. More than 700 people are expected to attend.
Jackie Chan, probably the most recognizable face in Chinese
cinema, founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation in Hong Kong
in 1987. The foundation provides scholarships to needy students and
assists injured performers and their families. Chan's Dragon Heart
Charity Foundation was established in October 2004, aimed at aiding
Chinese students in poverty-stricken areas. To date, the foundation
has provided aid to more than 3,000 students.
Hong Kong tycoon, Li Ka-shing, set up the Li Ka Shing Foundation
in 1980 to co-ordinate donations towards medical, education,
cultural and other community welfare projects in a systemic manner.
The foundation and other private charitable foundations established
by Li have supported numerous charitable activities with grants,
sponsorships and commitments worth approximately HK$7.6
billion.
Fok Ying Tong, another HK tycoon, set up the Fok Ying Tong
Education Foundation in 1986 to provide bursaries to outstanding
students to pursue their studies abroad and to return to China to
join the teaching profession.
"Blood-donation champion" Gao Yonghua, a 61-year-old man from
Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, has been donating blood since 1995.
He has donated blood 59 times in 10 years, giving a total 45850ml
of blood, equivalent to that of nine people.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn November 18, 2005)
