西厢艳谈高清完整版:Rich philanthropists 'acting in poor taste'

来源：百度文库编辑：九乡新闻网时间：2024/04/28 11:37:15

Rich philanthropists 'acting in poor taste'

08:34, March 25, 2011

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High-profile philanthropist Chen Guangbiao (center foreground) gives out cash to earthquake survivors and some volunteers in Yingjiang county, Yunnan province last week. Provided to China Daily
Philanthropy in China is changing. Not only are more people accumulating wealth, but they're giving away more of it. Privately run charities are moving into a sector dominated by government, and transparency and accountability are expected to improve.

Some big donors are setting clear guidelines on how their gifts should be used, while others - Chen Guangbiao is the leading example - continue to hand out money directly in a high-profile fashion.

Critics say Chen is showing off and stripping the dignity of recipients. Defenders applaud his public example of charity. Social welfare scholars wonder about the efficiency and effectiveness of such direct donations.

The diverse and often well- publicized donations of the rich have ignited debate.

The official China Charity and Donation Information Center reports that contributions reached 54 billion yuan ($8.23 billion) in 2009. That's barely half of the 107 billion yuan given in 2008, when the Sichuan earthquake triggered an unprecedented flood of donations, but well above the 30.9 billion yuan in 2007, when there was no major disaster.

Zheng Yuanchang, director of the Ministry of Social Affairs' charity and social donation office, estimated contributions in 2010 at 70 billion yuan. A more precise total isn't yet available.

Private charity foundations in China nearly doubled in the past three years, despite a State-required minimum donation of 2 million yuan (higher under some local regulations). The number rose from 436 in 2007 to 846 in 2009, said the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Its blue book on charity said the nation can expect a charity boom over the next 10-20 years.

Very public face of giving

Despite the promising future of philanthropy, much of China's charity work remains underdeveloped and falls into Chen Guangbiao's pattern of direct donation.

Chen, president of Jiangsu Huangpu Renewable Resources, made headlines and drew criticism two months ago when he gave out red envelopes stuffed with money in Taiwan, and again this month during his charity road show to earthquake-jolted areas in Japan and Yunnan province.

On a five-day trip to Japan, Chen donated 1 million yuan ($24,690). He also handed out about 2 million yen ($24,735), giving 1,000 yen and 100 yuan - and his business card - each to Japanese students who were collecting donations on the streets.

The most controversial incident involved posed photos of Chen pulling a woman from the rubble. The photos were spread online quickly and generated harsh criticism from Internet users at home.

Chen, 42, declined to elaborate on the "rescue". "The media attention on that is abating," he said. "I don't want to put it back in the spotlight."

Chen left Japan, citing the risk of radiation from the damaged nuclear plant, and flew straight to Yunnan's Yingjiang county, where he donated 230,000 yuan in one day. Again, he posted photos online.

Some of the money went to volunteers who were helping the earthquake survivors. Chen told China Daily that when he was giving money to villagers, someone told him the volunteers couldn't afford to return home, so he gave them money, too. The Nanfang Daily newspaper reported that the volunteers were specifically asked to hold up the money for a photo.

Xu Yongguang, secretary-general of the Narada Foundation, labeled Chen's actions "violent charity" - sacrificing the dignity of recipients to meet his own needs. Defenders praised him for giving when many wealthy people don't.

"I'm being high-profile not to promote myself. I've been high-profile since I was little," Chen told a group of more than 40 executives of charitable foundations on Sunday in Beijing. "If I did not talk about the good deeds I've done, I would feel pent up."

Chen said he believes that his way of "violent charity" is what China needs, and he gives that way to push the development of philanthropy forward. 'Most demanding donors'

A recipient is overcome with emotion as philanthropist Chen Guangbiao hands out cash to farmers in earthquake-stricken Yingjiang county, Yunnan province, last week. Zhu Bianyong / China News Service
Some financial-savvy donors have started to wield their large wallets and budgeting knowledge to monitor how charitable funds are handled.

Current regulations require non-governmental organizations to affiliate with a government department to register as a charity with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. To organize any fund-raising activities, they must also accept official supervision. Yet NGOs and charities are not obliged to report to donors on how their money is spent.

Cao Dewang, chairman of the Fuyao Glass Group in Fujian province, and his son, Cao Hui, wanted more accountability that their money would be spent the way they wanted.

They donated 200 million yuan last May to people in Southwest China who were severely hit by a drought. An estimated 100,000 poverty-stricken households in the region benefited from the relief funds through water and food provisions, which were managed by the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. Each household got 2,000 yuan.

Cao and his son signed an agreement with the foundation saying it must distribute the relief funds locally within six months. The management fee was set at 3 percent of donations, far less than the normal 10 percent, and Cao specified that any loss during the distribution process was intolerable. Cao also hired a monitoring committee to oversee the use of his donation.

"I knew that people were suffering from the dry spell because my teenage life was tough as well. The 2,000 yuan might help them step out of difficult times," Cao said.

"The agreement does not show I don't trust the foundation," he said, "because the agreement functions as a constraint for the foundation and also local governments. No money will be taken away; all money will go to the needy."

According to the agreement, Cao also hired an agency to sample 10 percent of beneficiary families at random after the donation was given out. If more than 1 percent of the families were found to be unqualified, the foundation had to pay back the fund at 30 times the amount that was misspent.

The news media dubbed the Caos "the most demanding donors in history". But by February 2011, the donation of 200 million yuan had been distributed as scheduled. Cao said it proved that he did the right thing to have an agreement for money distribution.

"Cao Dewang's personal demand to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation actually pushed the organization to improve its professional service," said Cheng Chuanjin, professor at the Research Center of Philanthropy and Social Enterprise, school of social development and public policy, at Beijing Normal University.

Which way is best?

Wang Shi, the chairman of real estate giant Vanke, took a flood of criticism for saying a donation of 2 million yuan after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan was "feasible" for his company and "donations should not become burdens". The huge company later apologized for his comments and donated an additional 100 million yuan.

There are wrong ways to donate and good ways. Maybe. It depends on who is judging. Even scholars of charity issues have different views.

"The unusual, high-profile manner of doing charity among Chinese billionaires appears kind of backward," said Deng Guosheng, deputy director of the Nongovernmental Organization Research Center at Tsinghua University. Deng said the key problem with Chen Guangbiao's direct handouts lies in its inefficiency.

"His cash may not help the most needy ones. Instead, it can foster laziness in recipients, which leads to worse poverty. The most significant thing a charitable action embodies is to help people to help themselves."

And that, he said, calls for wisdom among donors.

Cheng, the Research Center professor, has a slightly different view. "Basically Chen's behavior is a good example, inspiring the rich to donate money, although the manner employed in the process of donating needs to be regulated more professionally."

Cheng also said that direct giving to the needy also reflects the untrustworthiness of some charitable organizations due to lack of transparency on the Chinese mainland. "In Taiwan, where charitable organizations have developed generally into maturity, Chen Guangbiao still sticks to his way of doing charity, which seems improper." Cheng said.

Wang Zhenyao, dean of One Foundation Philanthropy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University, is OK with Chen's approach.

He said the wealthy people of China are demanding more participation in charities and better management of them, which will help the charity sector mature. "It also indicates we need more diverse and more individualized donating forms."

Wang said the public ought to view this issue in its many dimensions. "It is quite natural that various presentations emerge in the development of charity. We have no definite way of doing good to others. No matter what the way is, the outcome appears beneficial."

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Source: China Daily
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西厢艳谈 高清完整版:Rich philanthropists 'acting in poor taste'

Rich philanthropists 'acting in poor taste'

08:34, March 25, 2011

西厢艳谈高清完整版:Rich philanthropists 'acting in poor taste'