Xihan Action, Partners with Touchmedia and China Business News, to Launch Forum for New Thought Leadership Around Public Service in China

SHANGHAI, March 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Several Deputies to China's National People's Congress submitted proposals concerning public charities amid the opening of the 2014 NPC & CPPCC Sessions, giving rise to a surge of enthusiasm for private participation in public charities projects. Spurred on by this positive trend, the "Rebuilding Public Welfare Marketing Ecosystem-2014 China New Public Welfare Forum" was held successfully at the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square on March, 7, 2014. The forum was jointly held by Xihan Action, a well-known innovative public welfare project, Touchmedia, the largest in-taxi interactive media company in China and China Business News, China's most influential business daily.

As a Chinese-style public welfare platform integrating resources from various social communities, including government agencies, public welfare organizations, businesses, welfare recipients and the media, NPW CHINA New Public Welfare aims to jointly explore more flexible and innovative multi-dimensional Chinese public welfare models that can adapt to continuously evolving environments, in a move to bring new ideas to public welfare practices, unlock development bottlenecks and promote the rapid progress of China's public welfare undertakings.

NPW CHINA New Public Welfare will act mainly as a general consultant and driving force, offering recommendations and market-oriented guidelines to public welfare projects, maximizing the reach of public welfare communication, building a comprehensive communication bridge as well as creating better and more diversified public welfare messaging.

The 2014 China New Public Welfare Forum, one of the iconic events of the NPW CHINA New Public Welfare launch, featured a discussion themed "Rebuilding the Public Welfare Marketing Ecosystem" and presented the key initiative "The public welfare sector: facing challenges, rebuilding the ecosystem and creating win-win partnerships" to all parties of the platform. In addition, the forum will further focus on public welfare marketing, offer public welfare projects recommendations and guidelines via the platform and publish the 2014 China New Public Welfare White Paper. The paper provides theoretical explanation and examples that took different viewpoints in terms of practice for CHINA New Public Welfare and includes short film clips highlighting ten key innovative public welfare projects chosen for inclusion by One Foundation, the Flying-Love Charity Association and WildAid, among others, in an effort to encourage people to rethink public welfare marketing.

Special guests from NGOs, businesses, government agencies, the media as well as leading philanthropists were invited to the forum, including Zeng Yonghe, deputy director of the general office and non-governmental organization management office concerning foreign affairs at the Shanghai Administration Bureau of NGOs; Liu Fang, secretary of the party committee of China Business News and council member of CBN Public Welfare Foundation; Mi Cheng, Xihan Action sponsor and director-general at Shanghai King Olive Cultural Development Center; Ray Lui, honorary chairman of Touchmedia who is also a renowned actor in China and a leading philanthropist; Micky Fung, founder and Executive Chairman of Touchmedia as well as Xu Youjie, vice president of the department of communication and public relations at Procter & Gamble Greater China. This lineup of guests will engage in an in-depth discussion on taking a different approach to sustainable development of a new public welfare model in modern times, enabling more individuals to become aware the fact that promoting China's public welfare development is our common responsibility.

Creative NGOs: innovations that make a difference, actions that protect

-- Mi Cheng, Xihan Action sponsor and director-general at Shanghai King Olive Cultural Development Center

Some people yearn for the aesthetics of life, while others live it; yet, some people, who preserve and pass down a traditional skill, create with great precision the cultural artifacts that provide spiritual sustenance to others. Culture can be said to be the pillar that supports the livelihood of a region or of a nation. When the survival of a nation or the livelihood of a culture is at risk, it is because the culture is no longer regarded by its people as being something of importance or something worth preserving. It behooves us to value our culture as the pillar of our lives in order to create a better life for the general public.

Xihan Action aims to protect traditional craftsmanship and precious natural resources as well as break away from the "silos" that result from a fragmented approach to that protection, creating a sustainable development model that allows the creation of a virtuous cycle that provides ongoing protection. By creating, promoting and recreating new and integrated public service models, more people will understand the culture behind traditional craftsmanship. In addition, our modern life will become more closely connected with traditional culture through the redesign of traditional craftsmanship.

Culture defines the aesthetic while that aesthetic influences the way of life. Xihan Action is committed to protecting the culture and the aesthetic values rooted in culture. It's not only about surviving, but also about living better.

Getting out the message: the media's public welfare mission

-- Liu Fang, secretary of the party committee of China Business News and council member of CBN Public Welfare Foundation

A good public welfare marketing campaign can produce huge social and economic benefits. A successful public welfare marketing case can not only gain widespread attention from all walks of life, but also persuade many companies to become sponsors who would receive critical acclaim when making positive contributions to society.

Commenting on the media's public welfare mission of getting out the message, Ms. Liu Fang, secretary of the party committee of First Financial Daily and council member of CBN Public Welfare Foundation, said, "Promoting China's public welfare development is our common responsibility. Companies and individuals have a responsibility to give back to society with their own resources or wealth. When we empower the meaning of public service, we will create value and harmony by uniting others and serving society through connection, sharing and actions."

Interactive media public welfare: an effective channel and platform

-- Ray Lui, Honorary Chairman of Touchmedia and world-renowned actor, and Micky Fung, founder and Executive Chairman of Touchmedia

Renowned actor Ray Lui attended the forum's afternoon session. As a leading philanthropist, Ray Lui has devoted himself to public service by using his influence and through the interactive new media platform. He took the lead in the "Touch Your Heart - Donate For Love" blood donor recruitment drive and was featured on the interactive screens in taxi cabs to call on passengers and his fans to "spend 20 minutes saving a life".

Referring to the role Touchmedia plays in public service, Micky Fung and Ray Lui said, "As a new media communication channel, Touchmedia not only allows for extensive communications, but also offers a friendly and effective interactive platform. Despite their busy work, thoughtful executives and urban professionals have the ability to do their bit for the public good and to give back to society. We need to make public service 'easy to understand and accessible', bring together all stakeholders for in-depth discussions, consolidate public welfare resources and promote the sustainability of public welfare."

About CHINA New Public Welfare

As a new welfare platform in China that innovatively brings together social resources including government agencies, non-profit organizations, companies, welfare recipients and the media, CHINA New Public Welfare aims to explore more flexible and multidimensional public welfare innovation models through interconnection and collaboration in a China that is constantly evolving, so as to provide guidance and inspiration for best practices in public welfare programs, break the development bottleneck and do whatever is necessary to help China's public welfare programs progress using the most modern techniques.

CHINA New Public Welfare -- a comprehensive public welfare adviser and driver that

• provides recommendations on public welfare programs and guidance for marketization of public welfare
• helps maximize the reach of public welfare communications
• builds a tridimensional communication bridge and
• creates rich and diverse content

About Xihan Action

Xihan Action, as a renowned and innovative public welfare project, was designed to protect increasingly rare natural resources and increasingly precious human civilization. It systematically integrates governmental, media and corporate resources in an innovative model to empower a positive and renewable social public welfare mechanism, provide the public a new and refreshing public welfare experience while building a sustainable and socialized operation mechanism, in a move to create a win-win situation between donor and recipient.

Xihan Action Official Microblog: http://weibo.com/xihanaction

About Touchmedia

Touchmedia was founded by its Executive Chairman and CEO Micky Fung in 2003 to develop state-of-art touchscreen media technology in China and internationally. Today, Touchmedia is already the largest in-taxi media company in China, providing an innovative marketing platform which allows brands to engage consumers more effectively, building higher involvement for better awareness, recall and response. To date, the firm has already received 50 government and charity awards.

Touchmedia Official Microblog: http://weibo.com/touchmediachina

About China Business News

China Business News, founded on November 15, 2004, is China's first market-oriented financial daily and the country's first in experimenting as a cross-regional, cross-media newspaper. The newspaper is jointly run by Radio and Television Shanghai, Guangzhou Daily Group and Beijing Youth Daily Group. China Business News, with the motto "Be Responsible for the Age", adheres to an editorial policy of being authoritative and mainstream, professional and responsible, rational and insightful, and market-oriented. The newspaper has print operation in 11 cities across China, covering the country's main economic zones and key commercial cities. China Business News has become one of China's most influential and most trusted financial newspapers.

China Business News Official Microblog: http://weibo.com/yicairibao

SOURCE Touchmedia