2018.09.11

The Guangdong Times Charity Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the "Times Foundation") held the release and launch ceremony of the project titled "Rural Renaissance," doing so in accordance with the national strategy for rural revitalization and cultural preservation. September 10 is Teachers' Day in China. At 10 o'clock that morning, he Times Foundation's Rural Renaissance project was launched in Guangzhou.

Approximately 350 people attended the event to witness the launch of the Rural Renaissance project, including Mr. Li Ziliu, the former mayor of Guangzhou as well as the founder and chairman of the Overseas Friendship Association of Guangdong Cantonese Zhujixiang; Mr. Tang Rui, deputy secretary of the Guangdong Committee of the Youth League; Mr. Kong Zhijun, vice director of the Education Examinations Authority of Guangdong Province; Mr. Du Shaoqin, head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Mr. Deng Qiyao, a professor of School of Sociology & Anthropology and director of Anthropology of the Media Research Center and doctoral supervisor of Sun Yat-Sen University; Ms. Zhou Kaimo, Ph.D., of the Anthropology of Music, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and curator of the Music Museum, Xinghai Conservatory of Music; Ms. Tan Jinhua, associate professor of the Cantonese Culture Research Center and the School of Civil Engineering & Architecture at Wuyi University as well as the founder of the "Cangdong" project; Mr. Shum Chiu Hung, board chairman of Times China; Ms. Li Yiping, chair of the Times Foundation; Mr. Guan Jianhui and Bai Xihong, board vice-chairmen of Times China; volunteer teachers of the Rural Renaissance project and volunteers who are party members, senior executives, young employees and owners of Times China as well as representatives of the charity circle.

·The scene of the launch ceremony

 Subsequent to an opening video that described the status of rural culture and education, Ms. Li Yiping, chair of the Times Foundation, delivered the keynote speech.

Ms. Li Yiping stated that, cultural renaissance is an important part of national rejuvenation. With the acceleration of urbanization, the cultural gap between urban and rural areas is widening. Rural cultural education is backward. And the traditional culture in rural areas is fading away. Times Foundation hopes to carve out its way based on the concept of "charity with empowerment" to empower the recipients so as to make more people able to choose their own life. Through the Rural Renaissance project, Times Foundation empowers children in rural areas and enables the arts to exert a positive influence on their lives as it empowers rural art to drive the spread of Chinese culture to the world. Thus, the mission entrusted to Times Foundation by society and history is meaningful and valuable.

·Ms. Li Yiping, the founder of the Times Foundation, made the keynote speech.

Later, Ms. Qin Zhanghui, vice president of Times China and executive director of the Times Foundation, gave a detailed introduction to the Rural Renaissance project. Ms. Qin expressed that, based on the Rural Renaissance project, the Foundation will promote the following three major aspects.

Lead Life with Art: Rural Renaissance Education

Times Foundation, starting with Guangdong, will continue to train volunteers with bachelor degrees or above in music, fine arts and physical education to support rural art education and conduct programs for the public welfare. The focus of the effort will be the cultivation of rural children as a means to consolidate the foundation of the Rural Renaissance project and ensure constant motivation toward success..

Activate the Soil via Platforms: Venture Capital of Rural Renaissance

Times Foundation recognizes the institutions and individuals that are deeply engaged in traditional culture and art, particularly those that provide financial and intellectual support, help to create a platform for communication, and facilitate the promotion of traditional culture and art.

Create a Stage that Quenches Desire: Rural Renaissance Art Festival

The Rural Renaissance project will provide diversified platforms for teachers and students of rural schools as it organizes varied cultural and artistic performances, including painting competition, music festival and art exhibition on the theme of Rural Renaissance for artists, volunteers and students.

Ms. Qin concluded by saying that, through the education and companionship of volunteers, meaningful projects of venture philanthropy and the efforts of everyone, each rural area will blossom.

·Qin Zhanghui, vice president of Times China and executive director of the Times Foundation, introduced the project.

Mr. Li Ziliu, a former mayor of Guangzhou as well as the founder and chairman of the Overseas Friendship Association of Guangdong Cantonese Zhujixiang, offered high praise for the Rural Renaissance project. Given that the Party and the Central Government have attached great importance to ideological and cultural construction and proposed the strategy of rural revitalization, Times Foundation has launched the Rural Renaissance project to solve practical problems and revitalize rural areas through the power and enrichment of art and culture.

·Mr. Li Ziliu, former mayor of Guangzhou as well as the founder and chairman of the Overseas Friendship Association of Guangdong Cantonese Zhujixiang, gave a speech at the event.

Subsequently, Ms. Li Lu, a representative of the first group of volunteer teachers in the Rural Renaissance project majoring in radio and television broadcasting at Sichuan University of Culture and Arts, delivered a speech to express her original intention and determination to participate in the project. On the occasion of the 34th annual Teachers' Day since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the audience members showed sincere respect and gave warm greetings to the volunteer teachers and teachers-to-be.

·Ms. Li Lu, representative of the volunteer teachers, delivered a speech.

Then, the session titled "Rural Renaissance: Venture Capital Dialogue" started.

The involvement of venture capital is an important part of the Rural Renaissance project. The Guangdong Music Revitalization project, led by Zhou Kaimo, and the Cangdong Project led by Tan Jinhua are among the initial venture-capital projects that the Times Foundation has assessed and curated.

As part of the dialog, the two teachers held a conversation with Ding Cheng, a researcher of Center for Historical Anthropology at Sun Yat-Sen University as well as a documentary director, regarding their efforts on projects such as traditional music activation and architectural cultural heritage preservation projects. They also voiced the opinion that more activities could be held with sufficient support, expressing the hope that more would be contributed on behalf of cultural preservation.

·Venture capital dialog

Distinguished guests, including Mr. Li Ziliu, a former mayor of Guangzhou as well as the founder and chairman of the Overseas Friendship Association of Guangdong Cantonese Zhujixiang; Mr. Tang Rui, deputy secretary of the Guangdong Committee of the Youth League; Mr. Shum Chiu Hung, board chairman of Times China; Ms. Li Yiping, chair of the Times Foundation; Mr. Kong Zhijun, vice director of the Education Examinations Authority of Guangdong Province; Mr. Du Shaoqin, head of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Ms. Zhou Kaimo, Ph.D., of the Anthropology of Music, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and curator of the Music Museum, Xinghai Conservatory of Music; Ms. Tan Jinhua, associate professor of the Cantonese Culture Research Center and the School of Civil Engineering & Architecture at Wuyi University as well as the founder of the "Cangdong" project; and Ms. Qin Zhanghui, vice president of Times China and executive director of the Times Foundation, stepped up onto the stage to carry watering cans for the flowers, thus marking the launch of the Rural Renaissance project.

·Distinguished guests went up onto the stage to announce the launch of the Rural Renaissance project.

After the recitation of Field Blossom by representative of volunteer teachers, Times Foundation, young men and party members of Times China, and two children, members of council and supervisors of the Times Foundation came to the stage to sing the anthem of the Times Foundation, Discover the Beauty of Life together.

·Poetry recitation: Field Blossom

· The anthem of the Times Foundation, Discover the Beauty of Life

In the place without sunlight, life is possessed by tenacity. As tiny as a grain of rice, the moss glory as the peony does.

Rural Renaissance is an arduous task; and the road ahead is long. Through the project, Times Foundation hopes to call attention to the weak status of rural culture, help carry forward and develop rural culture, and contribute to realizing rural revitalization and the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Flowers will boom on this road.