The Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy was officially unveiled on May 3. The unveiling ceremony was chaired by Feng Guoqin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC and President of the Shanghai Charity Foundation. Wang Weiguang, President and Secretary of the Party Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Dong Yunhu, member of the Standing Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and Jin Donghan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Shanghai University, respectively delivered speeches. Wang Weiguang, Dong Yunhu and Chen Tiedi, Honorary President of Shanghai Charity Foundation, jointly unveiled the nameplate of the Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy. Li Peilin, Vice President of CASS and President of Shanghai Academy, released the long-range plan for the Modern Charity Research Center and the research projects for 2017. Zheng Bingwen, Director of the Institute of American Studies and Director of the World Social Security Research Center under CASS, and Director of the Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy, was also invited to make a keynote report entitled the Charity Cause and Social Security.
In his speech, Wang Weiguang noted that the charity cause has become an important part of the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics, and its importance has increased quickly with China’s economic and social development. To do a good job in the research on the socialist charity cause with Chinese characteristics, a correct path must be taken. First, the correct political direction must be upheld and socialist core values must be made as the guide. Second, the focus of research shall be the role of governments and private sectors in advancing China’s charity cause, and the bilateral relationship shall be viewed in a dialectical manner. Third, the socialist charity cause with Chinese characteristics shall be viewed from the perspective of development and keep up with the time. He stressed that Shanghai Charity Foundation founded the Modern Charity Research Center in cooperation with Shanghai Academy, a new-type think tank jointly set up by CASS and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, at the right time. He said that is of great significance, as it will not only help strengthen research on the socialist charity cause with Chinese characteristics, but also advance new breakthroughs by Shanghai Academy in research layout, discipline construction and social influence.
Dong Yunhu noted that the Modern Charity Research Center, jointly set up by Shanghai Charity Foundation and Shanghai Academy, comes at the right time and is of great significance, as it will play an important role in advancing and guiding the long-term development of China’s modern charity cause. He expects the Modern Charity Research Center to carry forward the working style of connecting theories with practice, tap the ideas and practice about charity that lay hidden in excellent traditional Chinese culture and transfer them in a creative manner, and to keep up with the time, uphold the global vision and work to build itself into a State-level charity theory research center and innovative practice exploration center.
Jin Donghan said, relying on the research resources of CASS and based on the rich experience of Shanghai in charity causes, the Modern Charity Research Center features a high starting point, a great vision and a sound foundation, and is bound to produce fruitful results. Shanghai University will fully support and well serve the construction of the Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy.
Li Peilin elaborated the long-range plan of the Modern Charity Research Center from the perspectives of its central missions, general requirements, and contents of work, and announced the projects of the Modern Charity Research Center in 2017. Li Peilin noted that with the fast development of charity causes in China, efforts need to be made to beef up research on the theories and practice related to the rules of modern charity and supporting policies, and to set up a new-type modern charity cause think tank.
In his keynote report, Zheng Bingwen gave a vivid and detailed introduction about charity and social security from multiple perspectives, including the relations between social security and charity, the origin of charity and development of the social security system, categories of NPOs and charity organizations, the income structure of American charity organizations, types of public welfare charity organizations, categories of charity donors and flows of donations, the role of charity in health expenditure, and China’s current social security. He considers that charity is an important supplement to the social welfare system and social security system, and charity is much needed in China given its current social security conditions.
The unveiling ceremony for the Modern Charity Research Center was jointly sponsored by the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Shanghai Academy and Shanghai Charity Foundation. Yan Shuang, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Party Group of Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, Shi Derong, Deputy Executive President of Shanghai Charity Foundation, Li Youmei, First Vice-President of Shanghai Academy, and Wen Xueguo, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Academy, attended the unveiling ceremony.
(Article by Xiang Jinmei, Photographs by Zha Jianguo)
