Philanthropy in China, A Personal View

Moon Valley Foundation: Laura with Founder Madame Winne Ho

I recently visited Beijing and Hong Kong and witnessed first hand the exciting things happening in China's philanthropic sector. What an interesting time for this sector, as the economic wealth in this country continues to grow, so will philanthropy. As a guest of the Art Concept International Cultural Studies Foundation and the Moon Valley Foundation (founded by members of the well-known Hotung and Ho families of Hong Kong), I was able to participate in their efforts to build bridges between China and the west by training government officials on international diplomatic protocol and etiquette. A recent article in the London Financial Times, Learning the Art of the Hug in China , covered the event. OK, while a hug may seem trivial, you have to admit nothing is more uncomfortable than not knowing how to react to the friendly gesture, especially if it not your custom. We had a lot of fun with the training. The hands-on dinning etiquette session was particularly humorous. Then again it could have been the fact that we had to sip the white, red, and sparkling wines served as we covered the differences between each glass. Seriously, it was a wonderful experience and while I was the "teacher", I found myself learning more from the Chinese officials. I was impressed by the warmth, sophistication, and intelligence of this group of leaders.

The Art Concept International Cultural Studies Foundation has also done great work in supporting education and cultural preservation in Inner Mongolia, and bringing attention to the plight of  and assisting WWII comfort women.

To read more about the philanthropic sector in China see the following article found the on Future Leaders in Philanthropy (FLIP) blog, A Study of Chinese Philanthropy by Danquig Li .