Best Forum Quotes ·

Everyone has a tool for effecting change, for example your time, network, expertise, influence, and capital. 

— Ms. Valerie Rockefeller, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rockefeller Brothers Fund

We pursue our philanthropic passions as a family activity that we attempt to do in a sustainable way. 

— Mr. Ray Dalio, Founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Bridgewater Associates

Philanthropy boasts unique value for the inheritance of a family's wealth, business, social relations and culture. 

— Mr. Fu Changbo, Professor and PhD Supervisor of the School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University; Director of Beijing Philanthropy and Wealth Inheritance Lab

Except for China, I have never seen any economy for which so many people were willing to donate all their money to shore up its development in the early stages. 

— Mr. Chen Qizong, Board Chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd., Co-founder and President of the Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS)

"Let us build a perfect present with love, and let thousands of streams converge into the ocean", "This is the best future for both you and me. Let's love each other."

— Lyrics of "The Best Future"

▲The Dandelion Chorus of "Enlightenment of Love · Sunshine Youth Art Troupe" singing the songs of "The Best Future" and "Bodzavirág" 

April 22, 2021 marked the 52nd celebration of Earth Day. 

In the beautiful voice of the Dandelion Chorus, and in our common longing for a better future,

the 2021 Family Philanthropy Forum was officially launched. 

Under the theme of "Sustainable Development and Family Philanthropy" and upholding the mission of "building a family philanthropy exchange platform, influencing and gathering more people to take actions, shouldering social responsibilities and contributing to social advancement", 2021 Family Philanthropy Forum discussed and envisaged the overarching trends of philanthropy in the years to come from aspects such as high-quality education, biodiversity, climate change, family philanthropy and inheritance, and philanthropy data, and how to contribute to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through the exchange of insights and the sharing of experience, participants would join hands to rev up the thriving development of philanthropy in the new era.  

Highly affirmed and strongly supported by representatives from all walks of life and preeminent experts and scholars, this Forum was addressed by Mr. Zhao Xuegang (Deputy Director-General of Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau), Mr. Xu Yongguang (Chairman of Narada Foundation) and Mr. Niu Ben (President of Laoniu Brother & Sister Foundation), who pointed out the way forward for family philanthropy and called upon people to carry forward the spirit of philanthropy. 

▲Mr. Niu Ben, President of Laoniu Brother & Sister Foundation

▲Mr. Zhao Xuegang, Deputy Director-General of Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau

All we need are perseverance, frankness, profoundness, passion and outcomes, so that we can make philanthropy more graceful and make our lives more meaningful. 

 ▲Mr. Xu Yongguang, Honorary Chairman of Narada Foundation

A host of Chinese and foreign guests from the industry and the charity were also invited to give keynote speeches and to attend high-level dialogues. Their insightful views and opinions received rounds of enthusiastic applause from the audience. 

▼Invited guests sharing their insights into "Sustainable Development and Family Philanthropy"

The 2021 Family Philanthropy Forum combined the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the inheritance of family philanthropy. On the one hand, the SDGs have pointed out the way forward for the practices and explorations of family philanthropy; on the other hand, family philanthropy is obliged to contribute to the global drive of achieving sustainable development, and must work in concert with all sectors of society to eradicate poverty, to protect our planet and to ensure peace and prosperity for all mankind. Focusing on the theme of "Sustainable Development and Family Philanthropy", domestic and foreign guests all put forth valuable opinions. 

Ms. Valerie Rockefeller, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, shared in her insight talk the philanthropy experience of the Rockefeller family: "A world that is more sustainable and equitable is possible, and it begins at home and here, with all of you." This is a valuable insight for Chinese family philanthropy inheritors who remain relatively young and inexperienced. 

▲Ms. Valerie Rockefeller, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Ray Dalio, Founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Bridgewater Associates, mentioned in his insight talk the different ways of running a charity: 1) invest charity funds into programs that can yield good financial returns and social benefits at the same time, and then reinvest the financial returns into charitable activities; 2) use charitable donations to forge a sustainable development mechanism within the recipient organizations; and 3) donate to programs that do not yield any financial returns but will bring about unpredictable social value.  

▲Insight Talk by Mr. Ray Dalio, Founder and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Bridgewater Associates

With an insight talk titled "Ushering in a New Era of Chinese Family Philanthropy and Wealth Inheritance", Mr. Mr. Fu Changbo, Professor and PhD Supervisor of the School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University and Director of Beijing Philanthropy and Wealth Inheritance Lab, shared his insights into the philanthropy and wealth inheritance in Chinese families, arguing that strategy would be the way forward for Chinese families to pass down philanthropy and wealth, making philanthropy no more a random and discontinuous drive but a strategic arrangement for charitable programs.  

Mr. Fu Changbo, Professor and PhD Supervisor of the School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University

In his insight talk titled "Philanthropy Development in China", Mr. Ronnie  Chan, Board Chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd., Co-founder and President of the Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), said: "The philanthropic tradition of the Chinese people can be dated back to the ancient times. In the past, people advocated the virtue of being kind and giving, and now we talked about serving the people. Both call for benevolence." He added that philanthropy is not merely about donation but also devotion, which is the most valuable charity.

▲Insight Talk by Mr. Ronnie C Chan, Board Chairman of Hang Lung Properties Ltd., Co-founder and President of the Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) 

In his insight talk, Mr. Douglas Noble, UNICEF Deputy Representative to China, talked about how UNICEF carries out its work across the globe and in China, and the pivotal role of family philanthropy in contributing to the SDGs. He encouraged philanthropists to take into account the lasting impact of their charitable donations.

In his insight talk, Mr. Soichiro FUKUTAKE, Honorary Adviser of Benesse Holdings, Inc., Chairman of Fukutake Foundation and Honorary Co-Chair of the East-West Philanthropy Forum, shared his thoughts on philanthropy and his suggestions to Chinese entrepreneurs: "While creating wealth, enterprises is also obliged to shoulder the corresponding social responsibilities. The charitable actions of enterprises are extremely characteristic and contributory, and one of the ways for enterprises to make their charitable drive sustainable is to practice the model of 'philanthropy capital'."

  ▲Insight Talk by Mr. Soichiro FUKUTAKE, Honorary Adviser of Benesse Holdings, Inc.; Chairman of Fukutake Foundation; Honorary Co-Chair of the East-West Philanthropy Forum

▼Release of Family Philanthropy Report 2020 and Launch of Family Philanthropy Data Center

By releasing the Family Philanthropy Report 2020 and launched the platform of "Family Philanthropy Data Center", this Forum displayed a panoramic and multidimensional picture of the status quo, trends, challenges and impacts of family philanthropy in China. The former mainly presents research findings on the legal basis of family philanthropy, the motivations for family philanthropy and the development trends of family foundations, while the latter allows online query of family philanthropy data, so that enterprises, charities and individuals can see each other, thereby enabling a better match between people, money and other resources. 

▲Release of Family Philanthropy Report 2020 and the Launch Ceremony of "Family Philanthropy Data Center"

From left to right: Pei Bin, Head of NGO Benchmarking Services, SGS; Wang Zhenyao, Dean, China Philanthropy Research Institute, Beijing Normal University; Xu Yongguang, Chairman, Narada Foundation; Niu Ben, President, Laoniu Brother & Sister Foundation; Lv Zhi, Professor at Peking University; Fu Changbo, Professor and PhD Supervisor of the School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University, and Director of Beijing Philanthropy and Wealth Inheritance Lab; Tao Ze, CEO, YISHAN Credit. 

With keywords including "China power", "sustainable development", "all-round poverty alleviation" and "family philanthropy donations", the Family Philanthropy Report 2020 reviews and elaborates on the practices and outcomes of Chinese philanthropic families in contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including poverty alleviation, environmental protection, equal access to education and healthcare. It also gives a thorough analysis of the status quo and characteristics of the charitable activities carried out by the Chinese philanthropic families, and offers insights into and helpful suggestions for their charitable activities.   

At the Forum, Mr. Tao Ze, CEO of YISHAN Credit, shared his interpretation of Family Philanthropy Report 2020 and the "Family Philanthropy Data Center", and called upon big data companies and professional institutions to join hands for the burgeoning development of the charity sector and to heed the call of President Xi Jinping to hold a deep love for the country and to shoulder their due social responsibilities.  

▲Interpretation of Family Philanthropy Report 2020 and the "Family Philanthropy Data Center" by Mr. Tao Ze, CEO of YISHAN Credit

▼Two high-level dialogues shedding light on how family philanthropy could contribute to the SDGs

The second half of the Forum featured two high-level dialogues in which big names from charities, academic institutions and philanthropic families shared insightful views on the two topics of "Family Philanthropy Facilitating Inclusive and Fair Access to High-Quality Education" and "Opportunities and Challenges Presented by Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change", and discussed the new paths for sustainable development and family philanthropy. 

▲High-level Dialogue I

In the high-level dialogue themed on "Family Philanthropy Facilitating Inclusive and Fair Access to High-Quality Education", Ms. Chen Lin (Secretary-General of Zijiang Foundation), Ms. Liu Qiong (Vice President of Laoniu Brother & Sister Foundation), Mr. Wang Yueyun (Secretary-General of HE Foundation), and Mr. Wang Qinghong (Executive President and CEO of East-West Charity Forum) shared their hands-on experience of education philanthropy and offered valuable suggestions on how people can harness their own social resources or professional advantages to create greater value in a creative way. 

Ms. Chen Lin, Secretary-General of Zijiang Foundation: 

"Philanthropy can be discussed together. We all hope to have a better future and a better tomorrow. My hope is that my family's charitable efforts would spur meaningful civil discussions and make our beautiful dreams come true." 

Ms. Niu Qiong, Vice President of Laoniu Brother & Sister Foundation: 

"The best advantage of a family philanthropic foundation lies in its open attitude and its flexible and abundant social resources, which allow it to pool together the resources of different stakeholders to design and promote a variety of charitable programs. We need to gather strength from all walks of life, join hands with more professional teams and discover more exemplary programs, so as to contribute more to children's education in China." 

Mr. Wang Yueyun, Secretary-General of HE Foundation: 

"Contributing to high-quality education entails innovative attempts. For family philanthropic foundations, they can make some attempts within the original education system, prepare for the future through some pilot initiatives, and use limited inputs pursue more gains." 

Mr. Wang Qinghong, Executive President and CEO of East-West Philanthropy Forum: 

"How does family philanthropy achieve sustainable development at the strategic level? There are six key words: 1) 'explore and spearhead', that is, harnessing the strengths of family foundation to pin down the pain points of education and to promote the advanced practices of children's education; 2) 'unite and act', that is, joining hands with multiple stakeholders to promote proven practices and models and to achieve full coverage; and 3) 'inherit and innovate', that is, passing down the family experience and promoting the inheritance and innovative development of educational projects and experience."

High-level Dialogue II

In the high-level dialogue themed on "Opportunities and Challenges Presented by Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change", Mr. An Yaqiang (Secretary-General of Lao Niu Foundation), Mr. Lv Zhi (Professor at Peking University), Mr. Yang Fangyi (Senior Programme Officer at IUCN China Office) and Mr. Wu Haoliang (Secretary-General of He Yi Institute) put forward their insightful views and thoughts on how to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 to climate change and biodiversity conservation on a global scale, and how to effectively invest in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. 

Mr. An Yaqiang, Secretary-General of Lao Niu Foundation: 

"Many social organizations were set up to solve existing problems, but it is certainly not enough to rely on a single social organization or the social organizations alone. We may now be at a stage where we are facing the most severe challenges, but there is also an unprecedented public consensus on the construction of ecological civilization. As long as we make good use of our collaboration tools, we can solve the difficulties we may encounter." 

Ms. LU Zhi, Professor at Peking University: 

"Our destiny is determined by our ability to protect our planet. Whether it is climate change or the deterioration of biodiversity, they have turned into economic risks, financial risks and investment risks, rather than just our bonds with the external environment. The COVID-19 epidemic has once again underlined the seriousness of this issue, i.e., there are close connections between our health and biodiversity. We must think about how to achieve sustainable development and how to preserve biodiversity." 

Mr. Yang Fangyi, Senior Programme Officer at IUCN China Office: 

"After the epidemic, people have come to realize the necessity of putting nature at the core of economic development, especially at the core of our response to the public health crises of climate change. It's hoped that nature conversation can be gradually mainstreamed in the years to come and that China would establish its own network of nature guardians to support the participation of Chinese philanthropists in biodiversity conservation and nature-based protection programs." 

Mr. Wu Haoliang, Secretary-General of He Yi Institute: 

"We must seize the opportunity and communicate the knowledge of climate change to the public, pulling it from afar to something closer that each of us can take an active part in. Through solutions such as garbage collection, recycling and reduction of energy consumption, each of us can contribute our part." 

At the end of the forum, Mr. Wang Zhenyao, Dean of China Philanthropy Research Institute, Beijing Normal University, said in his closing speech: "Chinese philanthropists pursue a common purpose, and the inheritance of Chinese philanthropic families also features historical genes and international minds. I am glad to see that both the sustainable development of the whole society and the sustainable development of family philanthropy are highlighted at this Forum. These crucial actions taken by charities and social forces would inject much-needed impetus into the high-quality development of our society."

Furthermore, Mr. Wang also voiced his new expectations for the Forum, stressing that in the face of unprecedented challenges and opportunities, social organizations and charitable foundations should partner closely with government agencies and regularly host open, international and big data-backed philanthropy forums like this one.  

▲Closing speech by Mr. Wang Zhenyao, Dean of China Philanthropy Research Institute, Beijing Normal University  

This Forum marks a much-applauded practice and a strong commitment of philanthropists to devote themselves to philanthropy, to improve the moral sentiment of family members and to cultivate lofty values. 

We believe that in the era of a philanthropy-driven economy, through the joint efforts of all of us, culture and wealth will be passed on, philanthropy will grow more powerful and valuable, and sustainable development will eventually be achieved across the globe.