A deluge of giving after China鈥檚 floods
For years, China ranked near the bottom on a global index of charitable giving and volunteering. But with its rise in wealth and in the number of 海角大神s and Muslims 鈥� who perhaps now outnumber Communist Party members 鈥� the country鈥檚 standing on the giving index has rapidly risen. A good example is the surge of private help for those hurt by historic floods this week in Henan province 鈥� where a year鈥檚 worth of rain fell in just three days.
Nearly $300 million in donations has flowed into the region from Chinese enterprises, according to Reuters. Big tech companies are some of the biggest donors. News aggregator Jinri Toutiao (鈥淭oday鈥檚 Headlines鈥�) has allowed users in Henan to ask for help. Local people also sent out calls for assistance on WeChat and other social media. 鈥淭hanks to all the companies and individuals who remember the people of聽Henan. Chinese people are the most powerful when they are faced with a disaster,鈥� said one Weibo user.
A similar outpouring of generosity occurred last year in the city of Wuhan, epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, where party officials were slow to respond to the crisis. An estimated $5.9 billion was given to charity groups.
A big turning point for public magnanimity in China came after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. Thousands of volunteers rushed to the disaster scene, shocking party leaders who thought they had control over private charity. In 2016, a new 鈥渃harity law鈥� was passed to both encourage philanthropy but also tame it to follow party interests. Since then, the number of registered social organizations has more than doubled.
Also expanding are 鈥済iving circles,鈥� or informal groups of private givers who pool their money for targeted charities. And since 2015, tech giant Tencent has sponsored a three-day online event called 99 Charity Day to raise money for giving groups.
Home to a fifth of the world鈥檚 population, China has steadily become a model for giving, or what Tibet鈥檚 exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama recently described as 鈥渢hinking more of others than yourself.鈥� The images of volunteers helping flood victims in Henan are showing the world a different China, one where the humanitarian response comes from the heart instead of a ruling party trying to stay in power.
