China Charity Federation held the grand "2024 China Charity Carnival" in Beijing Tiantai hotel on Jan. 5. Famous figures from the charity and various sectors of society from all over the country gathered here to participate in the charity event and share the charitable achievements. The guests attending the event included Gong Puguang, Vice Chairman of Social Construction Committee of the 13th National People's Congress. First Secretary of the Party Committee and President of China Charity Federation, Chen Cungen, President of the China Association of Social Workers, Sun Shaohua, Vice President of China Charity Federation, Sun Da, Member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of China Charity Federation, and Liu Wei, Vice President of China Charity Federation, Ma Weihua, Chairman of the Council of National Fund for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, Chairman of Chinese Entrepreneur and Commerce Club, and former President of China Merchants Bank, Feng Yuan, Vice Chairman of China Federation of Literary and Honorary Chairman of China Artists Association, Mo Yan, Vice Chairman of China Writers Association and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Jiang Kun, former Chairman of Chinese Ballad Singers Association and famous crosstalk artist, Guan Mucun, Vice Chairman of China Musicians Association and National first-class actor, Kong Dongmei, Chairman of Dongrun Foundation, Yu Jianwei, Chairman of China Aging Development Foundation, He Qinfeng, Director of North Asia Region and China Project Director of Beijing Representative Office of Smile Train Foundation (USA), and Wen Qingyun, President of Beijing Charity Association.

Participants attended the special exhibition of China Charity Federation

Gong Puguang, Chen Cungen, Ma Weihua, and Feng Yuan separately delivered speeches.

On behalf of the host of the event, Gong Puguang expressed high respect and heartfelt gratitude to entrepreneurs, artists, experts and scholars who have been actively and enthusiastically involved in charity for a long time, and extended warm wishes and sincere greetings to new and old friends from all walks of life who have been actively supporting the work of China Charity Federation for a long time. He said: "The year 2023, which has just passed, was not only the first year for implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the key year for comprehensively embarking on a new journey of Chinese path to modernization, a year of struggle for comprehensively promoting the construction of a powerful country and the great cause of national rejuvenation, but also an important year in the history of China's philanthropy. On Dec. 29, 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress voted to amend the Charity Law. In the newly revised Charity Law, the excellent achievements of Chinese characteristic charity concepts, charity behaviors, charity systems, charity models, and charity experiences have been elevated to the top-level system design, providing a more solid legal foundation for promoting the high-quality development of China's charity."

He stated that 2023 was also an extraordinary year for China’s charity. The floods occurred in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the earthquakes occurred in Jishishan County, Linxia, Gansu, which have once again stimulated the enthusiasm of various parts of the country and society for charity, fully demonstrating the fine tradition and great spirit of the Chinese nation of "helping each other" and "overcoming difficulties together".

He emphasized that 2023 was a year for China Charity Federation to achieve excellent achievements, and its various work had shown the good trend of growth. During this period, a total of RMB 5.899 billion worth of social donations were received, a year-on-year increase of 20.17%, which completely reversed the cliff-like decline in performance caused by the adjustment of medical policies in recent years; The "Happy Homeland Village Community Mutual Aid" project of has been honorably awarded the 12th China Charity Award; The Party Committee of China Charity Federation was rated as "Advanced Primary Party Organization" by the Comprehensive Party Committee of Social Organization Management of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. From the past year till now, China Charity Federation has kept collaborating closely with various levels of charitable organizations across the country to further expand and deepen cooperation while continuing to jointly carry out traditional brand projects such as "Patient Assistance", "Smile Train", and "Showing Love with One Piece of Paper", including the "Happy Homeland Village Community Mutual Aid", project. And a nationwide charity assistance network and assistance system have been formed. Moreover, we have collaborated to hold multiple charity cultural brand events and achieved good social effects, including "China Charity Forum", "Yangtze River Delta Charity Forum", and "Nine Provinces Charity Forum along the Yellow River".

He stated that 2024 was also the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China Charity Federation. Over the past 30 years, it has forged good relations, broadcast good seeds, and produced excellent results in the field of China’s charity. It has raised over RMB 150 billion worth of charity funds and supplies, helping millions of disadvantaged people, which has become an important force to support and promote the development of charity. China Charity Federation has 547 member units and 20 individual members from all over the country, and has formed a large-scale charity network throughout the country. China Charity Federation has also been continuously recognized as the "National Advanced Social Organization" by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Since 2008, it has been awarded the title of "National AAAAA Foundation" three times. China Charity Federation has established good cooperative relationships with numerous public welfare and charitable organizations in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan in China and overseas to jointly implement charitable projects and carry out charitable activities, which has won wide recognition from the international community.

He said that all the past was a preface and the future should start a new journey. In the new era of development, it was necessary to strive upwards and pursue beautiful dreams. In the new year, the Party and the state have opened vast space and created great prospects for the high-quality development of charity, and the strong support of all sectors of society have injected endless vitality into charity. Based on this, China Charity Federation will continuously add new achievements to Chinese charity, new colors to the great love of China, and provide new strength for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with great enthusiasm, hundredfold confidence, and powerful actions.

In his speech, Chen Cungen warmly congratulated the holding of this event on behalf of China Association of Social Workers. He said that China Charity Federation as the pioneer, leader, and vanguard of China's charity had developed rapidly in the past 30 years and become an important force to promote the development of national public welfare, as well as was a model and paragon for many charitable organizations and foundations. He stated that China was currently undergoing the transformation from a traditional agricultural society to a modern industrial society and social problems and contradictions were shifting from relatively simple convergence to multiple and complex, presenting more personalized, differentiated, and scattered characteristics with multiple appeals, myriad reasons, interwoven and intricate with distinct professional and social characteristics. It was difficult for traditional ordinary social assistance to effectively solve social reality problems. Correspondingly, the government's governance philosophy was shifting from social management based on regulation to social governance featuring by party building leadership, diverse participation, improvement of services, and co-construction, co-governance and sharing. And the traditional simple gift of money and goods for poverty alleviation was being transformed into a professional social service that empowers people to all-round development. It has become an urgent need to harness the professional role of social work and enable professionals to engage in professional work in the governance of modern society.

He mentioned that China Association of Social Workers would continue to establish closer cooperation with China Charity Federation and various charity organizations to jointly promote the integrated development of charity social workers, advance innovation in social governance at the community level, build a new pattern of social governance that "everyone has the responsibility, everyone is responsible, and everyone participates", and promote Chinese-style modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature and common prosperity for all people.

Ma Weihua delivered the speech on the theme of "advancing entrepreneurial spirit and promoting new development of charity in China". He said that public welfare and charity work had been regarded as an important component of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. As the unity of kindness and good deeds, charity embodies the care and mutual assistance between people. But public welfare refers to the well-being and interests of the majority of people. The spirit of public welfare is the spirit of dedication and effort for the public interest, and it’s also the continuation of the fine tradition of the Chinese nation. The connotation and extension of charity have undergone changes in the new era, and the service methods of charity forces have also become more diversified. It is gratifying that there is a powerful force playing an increasingly important role in the development of public welfare and charity work, that is, more and more entrepreneurs have joined the charity and public welfare industry. They not only innovate the business to contribute to economic prosperity and development, but also demonstrate the boundless spirit of love in charity work. The people of the whole country have collectively experienced many challenges and difficulties in the past few years, whether it is fighting the epidemic, tackling poverty alleviation and climate change, or achieving the "30·60" strategic goals. Entrepreneurs have stepped forward bravely and made tremendous contributions to society with the spirit of selfless dedication. In the new year, he hoped that all sectors of society can join hands and work together to provide wisdom and strength for promoting the development and growth of China's charity and building a better society.

In his speech, Feng Yuan said: "Public welfare and charity have always been regarded as an important part of the excellent traditions of the Chinese nation. It’s a moral gene deeply integrated into the blood of Chinese civilization, and a powerful spiritual force to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The vitality of literature and art originates from life, and from the empathy and compassion of literary and artistic figures, so literature and art are equally inseparable from charity. The common aspiration of every artist and philanthropist is to share weal and woe with the people. I have witnessed the significant changes in people's lives under the common philosophy of "serving the people, helping others," "helping each other and working together" especially under the great strategy of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which has further highlighted the significance and value of charity and public welfare."

During the charity carnival, the famous writer Mo Yan, the famous artist Jiang Kun, and the famous host Zhu Jun were awarded the certificate of "Image Ambassador of China Charity Federation". Gong Puguang issued certificates to those three "Image Ambassadors". Mo Yan, as a representative, introduced the tremendous impact of charity culture on his life and creation, and the progress of the "Mo Yan Tongxin" project established in corporation with China Charity Federation in Feb. 2022. Up to now, the project has completed 24 batches of aid for 334 children with congenital heart disease from poor families in Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Shandong, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places.

Jiang Kun, along with famous singers Li Danyang and Chen Sisi, and renowned performer Wang Xiaowei were honored with the title of "Image Spokesperson for the First Digital Public Welfare Festival of China Charity Federation". Sun Shaohua and Sun Da issued certificates to them, and Jiang Kun, as the representative, gave a speech in which he deeply recalled the scene of his cooperation with China Charity Federation to hold a charity performance for the flood relief in Zhangbei area since 1998 and the real feeling that he adhered to the original aspiration of charity and often participated in charity and public welfare activities by charity performances and charity sales over the years.

The event was also interspersed with artistic performances. The famous mezzo soprano singer and honorary Vice President of China Charity Federation, Guan Mucun, together with Li Danyang, Chen Sisi, Wang Xiaowei, Liu Yixian, the graduate student of China Conservatory of Music, and actors from Beijing Red Dance Troupe contributed wonderful performances for the charity carnival.

The attending guests also watched the special exhibition and promotional video of China Charity Federation before the start of the carnival. More than 150 representatives from charitable organizations across the country and various sectors of society attended the event. The carnival was hosted by Tian Chuan, a famous host of Phoenix Television.

"2024 China Charity Carnival" scenes