China’s economy is passing through massive transformation, and the public welfare sector is following suit. New problems emerge and old issues resurface as China deepens its economic reform. Chinese public welfare organizations are playing an increasingly important role in solving these problems. To help keep tabs on developments in the sector, The China Philanthropy Times (公益时报）released a list of the top 100 public welfare sector figures in 2014. The list includes notable figures from all walks of life representing the breadth and depth of China’s present public welfare scene.
In no particular order, here is a sneak peek at the figures on the list (full list is available at http://www.gongyishibao.com/html/yaowen/7747.html ):
Jackie Chan, Actor
Like many other celebrities on the list, Jackie Chan is an avid contributor to charities in China. His total donations in 2014 alone added up to 25 million yuan, which was far beyond what other stars in Chinese entertainment industry had contributed. The Foundation named after him also raised about 47.369 million yuan in the same year.
Cui Yongyuan, TV Host and Founder of the Yongyuan Foundation
Cui became a household name to Chinese people when he was working as a talk show host for CCTV, and he is now a fervent activist in China’s philanthropic world. In 2014, Cui donated his endorsement earnings of about 200 million yuan to Yongyuan Foundation, which is dedicated to oral history and rural education.
Deng Fei, Founder of the “Free Lunch for Children” Project
In 2014, Deng Fei started another ambitious project – “Hope Farm”, which aims to help farmers in impoverished rural areas sell their agricultural products by setting up a private fund-raising foundation.
Wang Jianglin, President of Dalian Wanda Group
Other than being one of the richest persons in China, Wang Jianlin is also among the biggest supporters of Chinese philanthropy. Wanda Group had given more than 3.7 billion yuan to charity in total up until June 30, 2014.
