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)