Scene of the forum

On September 5, which coincides with the second “Chinese Charity Day”, the “Modern Charity and Social Transformation — 2017 Shanghai Charity Forum” jointly sponsored by the Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Shanghai Charity Foundation, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Wen Wei Po, was held at the China Financial Information Center. Feng Guoqin, President of Shanghai Charity Foundation, Zhu Jinchang, Secretary General (vice-ministerial level) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences（CASS）and Director of the Center for Social Policy Research of CASS, and Zhu Qinhao, Director of Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, attended and addressed the forum. Zheng Bingwen, President of the Institute of American Studies of CASS, presided over the opening ceremony of the forum.

Fen Guoqin addresses the forum

Feng Guoqin reviewed the tradition and fundamental basis of charity from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, and pointed out that China’s charity cause has flourished since reform and opening-up; modern charity forces represented by charity organizations which have gathered charitable acts of the public and society have rapidly grown into one of the driving forces for social transformation. He encouraged every participant to shoulder charitable duties and extend helping hands to those in need, so as to contribute to the orderly development of Shanghai’s charity cause by law. He also pointed out that under the new social environment, finding ways to boost social transformation, solve social problems, and embrace charity concepts and practices contained in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, in order to achieve creative transformation and innovative development, are arduous missions and glorious duties that the times have endowed to modern charity organizations.

Zhu Jinchang delivers a speech

Zhu Jinchang pointed out in his speech that the traditional Chinese culture and traditional virtues contain abundant charitable spirit; and China’s charity cause has enjoyed fruitful achievements and accumulated rich experiences during practice, while facing new difficulties and new challenges. Therefore, people shall see modern charity in the light of its development and relevant systems shall be improved constantly. He hoped that, in the process of advancing the charity and public welfare cause, relevant charity research shall combine theories with practices, integrate local conditions with general and forward-looking arrangement, always place people at the center, give full play to people's subjectivity, and increase the sense of participant efficacy.

Zhu Qinhao makes his address

According to Zhu Qinhao, Shanghai, as a humanistic international metropolis, shall achieve both economic prosperity and cultural development. The most important part in the development of the charitable cause is to practice public welfare. Specifically, public welfare shall be taken as the greatest common divisor of the socialist core values; efforts shall be made to attract and mobilize all walks of life, keep benevolence at heart, and give helping hands to the disadvantaged. The civil affairs department, as one of the main functional departments in charge of charity and public welfare, shall focus on the construction of a city of public welfare in the next step, and establish an institutional public welfare system. Moreover, through such measures as “making the voice of public welfare, building 10,000 public welfare bases, promoting public welfare passports, holding the ‘public welfare partner day’ and launching public welfare activities”, we shall strive to enhance the public’s recognition of public welfare and popularize the vision of charity among people.

Li Youmei announces 10 research projects

An important part of the opening ceremony was the announcement by First Vice President of Shanghai Academy, Li Youmei, of the proposal report of the “2017 research subject of the Modern Charity Research Center of Shanghai Academy”. According to Li Youmei, since the Academy’s Modern Charity Research Center published its guideline for research subjects in July 2017, it has received wide attention from all walks of life and a total of 49 valid applications have been collected. The Center has made a format review for the application projects; meanwhile, according to the project review and approval requirements determined by the Directing Committee, the Center has also organized an expert review. A total of 10 project proposals were finally approved, which Li Youmei declared at the meeting.

Wen Xueguo presides over the session titled “Frontier Exploration”

The forum was filled with wonderful speeches. Xie Lingli, Vice President of Shanghai Charity Foundation, gave a keynote report entitled Modern Charity and Social Transformation. On the theme of “Frontier Exploration”, as the moderator, Wen Xueguo, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Academy, said that, as adherence and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics are double explorations in theories and practices, the Modern Charity Research Center will vigorously develop the work style of linking theory with practice, and endeavor to promote the significant development of China’s modern charitable cause. Also in this part, Yang Tuan, Research Fellow of the Institute of Sociology of CASS, Zhu Jiangang, professor of the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Sun Yat-Sen University, Ni Shoubin, President of the School of Law of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shi Qiangsheng, Senior Economist of Shanghai Urban and Rural Construction and Transportation Development Institute, and other experts and scholars respectively delivered speeches entitled Preliminary Exploration of the Chinese Charity Principle, Meaning of Public Welfare and Charity and Its Enlightenment to China, Legal Issues for the Management of Charity Trust Investment, and Charity Impetus and Time Bank, centering on “modern charity and social transformation”.

In the part of “theory and practice”, Shanghai Charity Foundation and sh.QQ.com jointly issued China’s first regional Internet charity development report. Feng Guoqin prefaced the report with the title of “Collecting Public Benefits to Accomplish Great Love”, and fully affirmed the Internet charity's roles in encouraging “everyone to do charity at any time” and the accelerating advent of the age of “everyone’s public welfare”. According to the report, because Shanghai is the leading area in China’s public welfare and charity cause, Shanghai-based charity organizations have set good examples in the field of Internet charity, and provided the “Shanghai experience” and “Shanghai perspective”.

In the round table discussion segment, Shi Derong, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Charity Foundation, began with the theme of “everyone’s public welfare”, and discussed CSR (corporate social responsibility) with guests from such enterprises as DNV, Deloitte Foundation, First Response, Yicai Foundation, Aegon-Industrial Fund and MSC Consulting, achieving good effect.

Finally, Yang Xiong, Head of the Institute of Sociology of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, gave wonderful concluding remarks. XiongHou, Director of the Research Division of Shanghai Academy, Chen Yao, Director of the Administrative Division of Shanghai Academy, and about 300 experts from all walks of life, including scholars and white-collar workers from enterprises and public institutions attended the meeting.

(By Xie Nini, photo by Xiang Jinmei)