Earlier in March, Chinese lawmakers passed the first-ever Charity Law in the country. (Photo : Getty Images)
On Sept. 5, Monday, China has commemorated its first Charity Day with a number of promotional activities across the country, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Participated in by over 100 charitable groups, a charity fair was staged in Beijing, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province from Sunday to Tuesday.
According to Yang Liping, a Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau charity official, "the fair is an exchange and cooperation platform for charity groups to share and pool their information and resources."
Carry on the same advocacy, an Internet charity service as well as an information platform will also be established in the province of Yunnan. As of writing, a total of 351 registered charities have already registered.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhixiong underscored the need to "better define the allocation of resources."
The charity official from the Yunnan Civil Affairs Department noted that such move will help "the recipients of charity receive the support that they need."
The Chinese government has seen the potential of the nation's charity sector in aiding the poverty alleviation campaign.
Statistics show that as of the end of 2015, around 56 million rural Chinese nationals are still categorized as impoverished (those who have a per capita net income of less than 2,800 yuan annually).
In Zhengcheng District, Guangzhou, a "Charity Village" has been opened to help in diminishing the number of those impoverished.
Also, charitable organizations are encouraged to reach out to the needy residents of the Dupawei village.
China's Charity Law has "recently eased restrictions on the fundraising and operational activities of charity groups, promising tax benefits and improved supervision," the article wrote.
Data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs states that nearly 670,000 social organizations are officially registered as of the end of June. The statistic includes 5,038 foundations.
Last week, the Chinese Philanthropy Museum was opened to the public in Nantong, Jiangsu Province to celebrate the passing of the Charity Law.
Sun Zhiqiang, founder of a charity alliance based in Shandong Province, hopes that Charity Day, to be reckoned every Sept. 5 annually, will provide a great avenue for the public welfare sector to get more exposure.
