From September 20th to 22nd, the 7th China Charity Fair (hereinafter referred to as “CCF”) was held in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. On the morning of September 20th, amid Me and My Country, a chorus brought by the Flower Language Choir of Shenzhen No. 2 Experimental School, and the docking of major poverty alleviation projects witnessed by participating leaders, the 7th CCF was opened.

△Wang Aiwen, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, announced the opening of the 7th CCF. Deputy Secretary of Guangdong Party Committee and Municipal Party Secretary of Shenzhen Wang Weizhong (fourth from right), Vice-Chairman of ACFIC (All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce) Xie Jingrong (fourth from left), Mayor of Shenzhen Chen Rugui (third from right), Deputy Director of the State Council Poverty Alleviation Office Hong Tianyun (third from left), Deputy Secretary-General of SASAC (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council) Zhuang Shuxin (second from right), Vice President of the Red Cross Society of China Sun Shuopeng (second from left), Director of Guangdong Department of Civil Affairs Zhuo Zhiqiang (first from right), Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of CCA (China Charity Alliance) Liu Fuqing (first from left), etc. attended the opening ceremony. (Photo)

△Opening Ceremony of the 7th CCF (Photo)

The 7th CCF is jointly-sponsored by Ministry of Civil Affairs, SASAC, State Council Poverty Alleviation Office, ACFIC, Red Cross Society of China, Guangdong Provincial Government, Shenzhen Municipal Government and CCA. Guided by Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, this Fair comprehensively implemented the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and thoroughly executed Central Government’s decisions and arrangements in poverty alleviation. CCF has been focusing on poverty alleviation for three consecutive years since 2018, and its focus will remain the same for 2020. Themed “Focus on Poverty Alleviation, Create a Better Life Together”, the 7th CCF laid emphasis on the needs and long-term development of severely impoverished areas and special poverty groups. The Fair aimed to guide and encourage social forces to contribute to the poverty alleviation of severely impoverished areas by allocating more charitable resources to those areas. The CCF will narrated “Chinese story” of poverty alleviation, pooled “Chinese wisdom” in poverty reduction and explored “Chinese program” in charitable poverty alleviation, helping China to win the battle against poverty.

The 7th CCF recruited exhibitors via sponsor initiation, nation-wide roadshows and targeted invitation, and selected 791 organizations, 896 projects and 917 consumer goods for poverty alleviation from over 2,100 candidate units to display the excellent poverty alleviation projects participated by social forces and poverty alleviation products.

Centered around its theme and positioning, this CCF set up three exhibition pavilions, namely Poverty Alleviation Pavilion, Poverty Alleviation through Consumption Pavilion and Public Welfare Experience Pavilion. Among them, the Poverty Alleviation Pavilion featured a Special Exhibition Area for Poverty-stricken Areas, an Exhibition Area for Corporate Poverty Alleviation and an Exhibition Area for Social Organizations’ Poverty Alleviation which vividly demonstrated the demands of poverty-stricken areas such as the “three regions and three prefectures” for projects, capital, talents, information and technologies in their poverty alleviation efforts. The pavilions showed multiple forces participated in China’s social poverty alleviation and the achievements we’ve made, as well as the applications of new charity technologies and high-tech public welfare products in the poverty alleviation field. The Fair realized accurate connection between poverty alleviation needs of the poverty-stricken areas and charitable resources, promoting sustainable development of severely impoverished areas.

The 7th CCF enhanced its promotion of poverty alleviation through consumption, and advocated for the responsible consumption concept of “participating in poverty alleviation by purchasing poverty alleviation products and services”. The Fair compiled the Product Manual for Poverty Alleviation Through Consumption, and popularized products of poverty alleviation through consumption via sales exhibitions, site experience and roadshows. It brought in E-commerce platforms and recruited specialized buyer groups to make purchases and expand the sales channels of poverty alleviation products in poverty-stricken areas, aiming to alleviate poverty once and for all by promoting industry development in these areas. The 7th CCF exhibited 917 special agricultural and sideline products, traditional cultural derivative products and other poverty alleviation products from 225 poverty alleviations entities in 7 exhibition groups, up 200% from last year.

This CCF also featured a Public Welfare Experience Pavilion, which focused on displaying the front trends, projects, services and products of innovation in fields such as social services, technical charity, ecological charity and financial charity, aiming to provide an advanced mode and experience for promoting the sustainable development of poverty-stricken areas, rural vitalization and construction of a better life. The Public Welfare Experience Pavilion also set up an Exhibition Area for Social Innovation of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area to show outstanding projects and innovations of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in social services, public welfare charity and social governance, with the purpose of promoting Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao’s exchanges and cooperation in public welfare and charity.

This CCF addressed the key areas and difficulties in poverty alleviation. It adopted an “1+N” conference mode, and organized 1 themed seminar, 9 subtopic seminars and 1 closed meeting. The Fair invited domestic and foreign professionals in poverty alleviation and reduction to share Chinese practices in poverty alleviation and experiences in global poverty reduction, which could provide guidance for the poverty alleviation in severely impoverished areas. The CCF made solid efforts to build a high-end and international platform of communication discussion.

9 major poverty alleviation projects and 2 purchase orders of products for poverty alleviation through consumption were finalized on the Opening Day, including 3 billion Yuan donation to Huizhou, Heyuan, Qingyuan, etc. in Guangdong by Evergrande Group, 300 million Yuan donation to Dongxiang County Government of Gansu Province by Guoqiang Foundation, 300 million Yuan donation to education poverty alleviation projects in Ningxia’s poverty-stricken areas by Ningxia Yanbao Charity Foundation, 268 million Yuan donation to Xinjiang, Guizhou, Hubei, etc. by China Merchants Group, 200 million Yuan donation to Zhaotong, Yunnan and Shanwei, Guangdong by Vanke, 50 million Yuan donated by New Oriental Education and Technology Group and TAL Group respectively to Beijing Yuanshan Foundation, 50 million Yuan donation to network poverty alleviation projects in the three regions and three prefectures by China Internet Development Foundation, 10 million Yuan donation to social organizations and poverty-stricken areas in Jiangxi by Shanghai Xinli Charity Foundation, 10 million Yuan donation to earthquake-stricken areas in Ya’an and Lushan, Sichuan by Languang Nonprofit Foundation, 100 million Yuan purchase order of poverty alleviation products in poverty-stricken counties in Xinjiang, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia signed by Guangdong Benlai E-commerce Co., Ltd (Benlai.com) and the 50 million purchase order of poverty alleviation products from Dongxiang County, Linxia, Gansu signed by Country Garden Group.

Major leaders participated in the 7th CCF include: Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Wang Aiwen, Deputy Secretary of Guangdong Party Committee and Municipal Party Secretary of Shenzhen Wang Weizhong, Vice-Chairman of ACFIC (All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Xie Jingrong, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Shenzhen Chen Rugui, Deputy Director of the State Council Poverty Alleviation Office Hong Tianyun, Deputy Secretary-General of SASAC (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council) Zhuang Shuxin, Vice President of the Red Cross Society of China Sun Shuopeng, Director of Guangdong Department of Civil Affairs Zhuo Zhiqiang, Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General of CCA (China Charity Alliance) Liu Fuqing, etc.

As China’s only national, comprehensive and international charity event, CCF witnesses the previous six years of successful events in Shenzhen. It has attracted a total of 8,273 participating institutions and held more than 1,300 public welfare and charitable activities to promote over 30,000 branded charity projects, as a result, 2,234 projects were matched. CCF has become an important platform mobilizing and guiding all sectors of society, especially charitable forces to participate in poverty alleviation. As a pioneering demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Shenzhen once again resonated with the country and showed its demonstration and leading role in public charity, striving to make greater contribution to the construction of a moderately well-off society in an all-round way.

△Opening Ceremony of the 7th CCF (Photo)