From Chinese Press

Charity as a social phenomenon

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-13 08:17

On Sept 6, Chen Guangbiao became the first Chinese billionaire to announce that he would donate all his property to charity after his death. His decision was in response to the appeal of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett during their recent visit to China. But the number of Chinese billionaires who responded to the call of Gates and Buffett to donate to charity is rather small, says an article on www.cqnews.net. Excerpts:

Though Chinese people are traditionally benevolent, charity is not the strong point of the rich Chinese today. After three decades of reform and opening up, the living standards of Chinese have improved, so have some people's contributions to charity. But that is far from enough.

To build a society in which the haves donate part of their wealth, we need people to realize the importance of charity. It's important that ordinary people, too, take part in charity. Charity is not restricted to the rich. Even ordinary people can contribute to the well-being of others, and to society as a whole.

People who benefit from charity today can become benefactors tomorrow. It is important for us to learn how to pass down the help we receive today to others in need later. This is how charity at the basic level can move forward.

The media will obviously magnify the donations of billionaires and rich celebrities. But the little contributions of ordinary people are what keep society going, for it's the common people who serve as a greater and more realistic example for others to follow.

(China Daily 09/13/2010 page9)