Measuring the earth with footsteps, sowing love with sweat
At the launch ceremony of Challenge 8 Hours, Gu Xiaojin (second from right), Executive Vice President of the China Youth Development Foundation, delivers a speech
Charity ambassadors Huang Nubo, Zheng Yuanjie, and Tong Dawei start the race together with participants
Gu Xiaojin (second from right), Executive Vice President of the China Youth Development Foundation, and other guests present awards to the winners of the men's 40-kilometer category
Individual participants reach the finish line
Participants walk happily
Participants on the hiking trail
Volunteers cheer on the participants
A four-person team reaches the finish line
How powerful is the strength of walking? Can feet blaze a new trail for public welfare? A group of people have given us an affirmative answer.
Today, the "Challenge 8 Hours" 2012 Charity Hiking and Trail Running Event, jointly organized by the China Youth Development Foundation and The Beijing News, and co-organized by the Communist Youth League Committee of Yanqing County and Operation Blessing Hong Kong, officially commenced at Yudu Mountain Scenic Area in Yanqing, Beijing. Nearly 900 outdoor-loving philanthropists gathered here to challenge themselves with the power of walking and put public welfare into action.
New public welfare: using the power of walking to help rural children read and grow up happily.
The "Challenge 8 Hours" Charity Hiking and Trail Running Event is a challenging outdoor walking activity that combines sports with public welfare, creating a new model of social participation. Regarding this relatively novel form of charity through hiking, Gu Xiaojin, Executive Vice President of the China Youth Development Foundation, explained: "In mainland China, this is a fresh public welfare product. But in Hong Kong, hiking has become a culture that combines fitness and charity. Organizations like Operation Blessing Hong Kong and Oxfam Trailwalker use this method for fundraising.'Challenge 8 Hours' is our first attempt drawing inspiration from Hong Kong’s charitable organizations."
On the fundraising goal, Gu Xiaojin said: "I think the core of this model is not fundraising, but promoting the 'Happy Reading' project under the Hope Program through this action, so more people realize that their understanding and support for public welfare can be expressed in this way. It's a form of cultural dissemination."
Compared to the more common donation methods in China, the trail running event allows donors to not only participate in the project and understand its operation process, but also personally experience the health and joy brought by sports. A highlight of this public welfare event is encouraging participants to promote the concept of public welfare through their influence and actions, mobilizing friends and family to join, support them in participating, and enjoying a joyful spiritual journey while fundraising and walking.
On the fundraising goal, Gu Xiaojin said: "I think the core of this model is not fundraising, but promoting the 'Happy Reading' project under the Hope Program through this action, so more people realize that their understanding and support for public welfare can be expressed in this way. It's a form of cultural dissemination."
Compared to the more common donation methods in China, the trail running event allows donors to not only participate in the project and understand its operation process, but also personally experience the health and joy brought by sports. A highlight of this public welfare event is encouraging participants to promote the concept of public welfare through their influence and actions, mobilizing friends and family to join, support them in participating, and enjoying a joyful spiritual journey while fundraising and walking.
Gathering love, improving the reading conditions of rural children in a way everyone can participate in.
Since its launch on June 11, "Challenge 8 Hours" has attracted much attention. Xie Pingran (13 years old) and Xie Pingyun (11 years old), two brothers who once walked for 18 days from Xingtai to Beijing to raise funds for impoverished students in their hometown, started fundraising for the "Happy Reading" project under the Hope Program after learning about the event online. During the day, they wore white T-shirts printed with "Happy Reading under the Hope Program" and "Public Welfare for Education," going to squares and parks near their homes to distribute flyers. "Little classmate Li Lujia donated 2.1 yuan in change," "Two kind sisters each donated twenty yuan"... In the evening, the brothers posted their daily fundraising results on Weibo, allowing more netizens to track the progress. So far, the brothers have raised funds from 336 donors, collecting 1,344.1 yuan.
Song Zhiying from Guangdong, after seeing the challenge event on Weibo, immediately began fundraising. "I am Song Zhiying, I need twenty yuan. If you're willing to help me, please contact me. Thank you." Song Zhiying divided the minimum fundraising amount of 600 yuan into 30 parts of 20 yuan each and posted this message on her Weibo. She even thanked the person who dropped 10 yuan she found on the street via Weibo and decided to donate it to the "Happy Reading" project. Among the donors was a Weibo acquaintance—a 18-year-old student—who took a bus for several stops to hand 50 yuan directly to Song Zhiying.
Jiang Yanping, an outdoor enthusiast, brought her goddaughter Chen Kexin, just back from climbing Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, and signed up for the "Challenge 8 Hours" hiking event. She also persuaded two friends to join, even deciding to donate 600 yuan each for them. "Reading is very important for a person," said Jiang Yanping, who grew up with good access to books. Books can change a person’s world, and she hopes the event can bring some change to children in mountain villages.
Sina blogger "Behei," one of the earlier netizens to follow "Challenge 8 Hours," not only offered many thoughtful suggestions and comments, but also actively fundraised through Weibo. By August 25, Behei had engaged over 30 donors, with a total of 1,480 yuan donated.
Zhou Peng, a migrant worker in Beijing, made a special trip to the China Youth Development Foundation to donate in person and take part in "Challenge 8 Hours." According to him, as a loading worker for a courier company, although his salary isn’t high, he is very willing to participate in public welfare efforts and has donated to many charitable projects. Due to adjustments in his company’s operations in Beijing, he is currently unemployed. Zhou Peng said he loves sports, and the "Challenge 8 Hours" event aligns perfectly with his wish to stay fit while contributing to public welfare. He found it very meaningful, and the 600 yuan represents his contribution to children in remote rural areas.
Zhang Lin, a media distribution officer, heard about the "Challenge 8 Hours" event and immediately signed up for the 25-kilometer hike. In addition to loving outdoor sports, Zhang Lin is particularly interested in the beneficiaries of the donations. "Among the beneficiaries of this event are children from Baoshan, Yunnan. I’m from Yunnan and want to do my part for the children there." Zhang Lin said she grew up in a rural area, and after school, her free time was mostly spent on chores and farm work. "It wasn’t until college that I realized the importance of extracurricular reading, but compared to urban kids, I was already far behind." Zhang Lin doesn’t want children in her hometown to be "late" in their reading journeys.
Huang Nubo, the event’s charity ambassador and known as a representative of the "new generation of Confucian entrepreneurs," not only invited three corporate acquaintances who are also hiking enthusiasts to join, but also mobilized over 60 employees and partners through his company, Zhongkun Group. Everyone felt it was a "fashionable and honorable" act. Today, he and his friends completed the 40-kilometer journey together.
Zheng Yuanjie, a renowned writer and "King of Fairy Tales," accepted an invitation from the China Youth Development Foundation and The Beijing News to serve as a "charity ambassador" for the event. His children’s literature work, "The Airline of Shuke and Beita," has been included in the "Happy Reading" book list under the Hope Program, carrying the wishes of many caring individuals to ignite the literary dreams of rural children.
Another charity ambassador, young actor Tong Dawei, hopes reading can provide children with spiritual nourishment. "Reading more and reading good books can enlighten the soul, help appreciate beauty all around us, maintain hope for the future, and actively enrich one’s life."
Since its launch on June 11, "Challenge 8 Hours" has attracted much attention. Xie Pingran (13 years old) and Xie Pingyun (11 years old), two brothers who once walked for 18 days from Xingtai to Beijing to raise funds for impoverished students in their hometown, started fundraising for the "Happy Reading" project under the Hope Program after learning about the event online. During the day, they wore white T-shirts printed with "Happy Reading under the Hope Program" and "Public Welfare for Education," going to squares and parks near their homes to distribute flyers. "Little classmate Li Lujia donated 2.1 yuan in change," "Two kind sisters each donated twenty yuan"... In the evening, the brothers posted their daily fundraising results on Weibo, allowing more netizens to track the progress. So far, the brothers have raised funds from 336 donors, collecting 1,344.1 yuan.
Song Zhiying from Guangdong, after seeing the challenge event on Weibo, immediately began fundraising. "I am Song Zhiying, I need twenty yuan. If you're willing to help me, please contact me. Thank you." Song Zhiying divided the minimum fundraising amount of 600 yuan into 30 parts of 20 yuan each and posted this message on her Weibo. She even thanked the person who dropped 10 yuan she found on the street via Weibo and decided to donate it to the "Happy Reading" project. Among the donors was a Weibo acquaintance—a 18-year-old student—who took a bus for several stops to hand 50 yuan directly to Song Zhiying.
Jiang Yanping, an outdoor enthusiast, brought her goddaughter Chen Kexin, just back from climbing Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia, and signed up for the "Challenge 8 Hours" hiking event. She also persuaded two friends to join, even deciding to donate 600 yuan each for them. "Reading is very important for a person," said Jiang Yanping, who grew up with good access to books. Books can change a person’s world, and she hopes the event can bring some change to children in mountain villages.
Sina blogger "Behei," one of the earlier netizens to follow "Challenge 8 Hours," not only offered many thoughtful suggestions and comments, but also actively fundraised through Weibo. By August 25, Behei had engaged over 30 donors, with a total of 1,480 yuan donated.
Zhou Peng, a migrant worker in Beijing, made a special trip to the China Youth Development Foundation to donate in person and take part in "Challenge 8 Hours." According to him, as a loading worker for a courier company, although his salary isn’t high, he is very willing to participate in public welfare efforts and has donated to many charitable projects. Due to adjustments in his company’s operations in Beijing, he is currently unemployed. Zhou Peng said he loves sports, and the "Challenge 8 Hours" event aligns perfectly with his wish to stay fit while contributing to public welfare. He found it very meaningful, and the 600 yuan represents his contribution to children in remote rural areas.
Zhang Lin, a media distribution officer, heard about the "Challenge 8 Hours" event and immediately signed up for the 25-kilometer hike. In addition to loving outdoor sports, Zhang Lin is particularly interested in the beneficiaries of the donations. "Among the beneficiaries of this event are children from Baoshan, Yunnan. I’m from Yunnan and want to do my part for the children there." Zhang Lin said she grew up in a rural area, and after school, her free time was mostly spent on chores and farm work. "It wasn’t until college that I realized the importance of extracurricular reading, but compared to urban kids, I was already far behind." Zhang Lin doesn’t want children in her hometown to be "late" in their reading journeys.
Huang Nubo, the event’s charity ambassador and known as a representative of the "new generation of Confucian entrepreneurs," not only invited three corporate acquaintances who are also hiking enthusiasts to join, but also mobilized over 60 employees and partners through his company, Zhongkun Group. Everyone felt it was a "fashionable and honorable" act. Today, he and his friends completed the 40-kilometer journey together.
Zheng Yuanjie, a renowned writer and "King of Fairy Tales," accepted an invitation from the China Youth Development Foundation and The Beijing News to serve as a "charity ambassador" for the event. His children’s literature work, "The Airline of Shuke and Beita," has been included in the "Happy Reading" book list under the Hope Program, carrying the wishes of many caring individuals to ignite the literary dreams of rural children.
Another charity ambassador, young actor Tong Dawei, hopes reading can provide children with spiritual nourishment. "Reading more and reading good books can enlighten the soul, help appreciate beauty all around us, maintain hope for the future, and actively enrich one’s life."
New experiences: the combination of sports and public welfare encourages active corporate participation and greater contributions of love.
As one of the organizers of the "Challenge 8 Hours" Charity Hiking and Trail Running Event, The Beijing News formed a team of 98 participants for the 25-kilometer hike. Prior to the event, team members collectively sold newspapers on the street, with all proceeds donated to the "Happy Reading" project under the China Youth Development Foundation to buy books for rural children. In addition to employees enthusiastically signing up for the team event, many staff members also participated individually. To raise more funds, many individual participants engaged in fundraising, targeting colleagues and friends, with Weibo serving as their fundraising platform.
Beijing New Yansha Commercial Co., Ltd. was the first enterprise to form a team for the event. Fu Yuehong, the general manager, is a huge fan of outdoor sports. From indoor fitness routines to outdoor adventures and extreme sports, Fu has been experiencing and challenging various forms of physical activity. As a business leader, she often organizes outdoor activities for team building among her employees. This time, she personally led ten teams to take on the 25-kilometer challenge. The effective combination of sports and public welfare gave her a new sense of athletic fulfillment.
A total of eight companies participated in the event by making donations and forming teams to compete, including Beijing Xin Yansha Commercial Co., Ltd., Noah Asset Management, The Beijing News, Sina Leju, Anheuser-Busch InBev Investment (China) Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation Beijing Office, Zhongkun Group, and Beijing Oulailai Kangxiu Equipment Co., Ltd.
The event received strong support from many companies in terms of organization. FAW Mazda, as the main sponsor, covered most of the operational expenses of the event; Kraft Foods China and Coca-Cola provided supplementary items such as biscuits, chocolate bars, and mineral water; Nanjing Biancheng Sporting Goods Co., Ltd., Shenzhen EZON Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and InSPire Trading (Beijing) Co., Ltd. sponsored prizes featuring outdoor sports brands “Austria NORTHLAND,” “SALEWA,” and “EZON,” respectively.
As of September 8, the official website of the China Youth Development Foundation’s “Challenge 8 Hours” charity trekking race showed that a total of 623,735.33 RMB in donations had been received.
As one of the organizers of the "Challenge 8 Hours" Charity Hiking and Trail Running Event, The Beijing News formed a team of 98 participants for the 25-kilometer hike. Prior to the event, team members collectively sold newspapers on the street, with all proceeds donated to the "Happy Reading" project under the China Youth Development Foundation to buy books for rural children. In addition to employees enthusiastically signing up for the team event, many staff members also participated individually. To raise more funds, many individual participants engaged in fundraising, targeting colleagues and friends, with Weibo serving as their fundraising platform.
Beijing New Yansha Commercial Co., Ltd. was the first enterprise to form a team for the event. Fu Yuehong, the general manager, is a huge fan of outdoor sports. From indoor fitness routines to outdoor adventures and extreme sports, Fu has been experiencing and challenging various forms of physical activity. As a business leader, she often organizes outdoor activities for team building among her employees. This time, she personally led ten teams to take on the 25-kilometer challenge. The effective combination of sports and public welfare gave her a new sense of athletic fulfillment.
A total of eight companies participated in the event by making donations and forming teams to compete, including Beijing Xin Yansha Commercial Co., Ltd., Noah Asset Management, The Beijing News, Sina Leju, Anheuser-Busch InBev Investment (China) Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation Beijing Office, Zhongkun Group, and Beijing Oulailai Kangxiu Equipment Co., Ltd.
The event received strong support from many companies in terms of organization. FAW Mazda, as the main sponsor, covered most of the operational expenses of the event; Kraft Foods China and Coca-Cola provided supplementary items such as biscuits, chocolate bars, and mineral water; Nanjing Biancheng Sporting Goods Co., Ltd., Shenzhen EZON Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and InSPire Trading (Beijing) Co., Ltd. sponsored prizes featuring outdoor sports brands “Austria NORTHLAND,” “SALEWA,” and “EZON,” respectively.
As of September 8, the official website of the China Youth Development Foundation’s “Challenge 8 Hours” charity trekking race showed that a total of 623,735.33 RMB in donations had been received.
The event was professionally organized with enthusiastic service, providing participants with a great experience.
At 9:05 AM, the opening ceremony officially began. Gu Xiaojin, Executive Vice President of the China Youth Development Foundation, Wang Yuechun, Executive Editor-in-Chief of The Beijing News, Chen He’an, Standing Committee Member and United Front Work Department Minister of Yanqing County, and three charity ambassadors delivered brief but passionate speeches. At 9:20 AM, following the starting gun, nearly a thousand participants, led by charity ambassadors Huang Nubo, Zheng Yuanjie, and Tong Dawei, began their trekking race.
According to Gu Zhengzheng, Head of the Publicity Department of the China Youth Development Foundation, who was present at the event, the race featured two routes: 25 kilometers and 40 kilometers. These routes included both mountain crossings and road trekking, offering a high level of challenge. Each route was divided into three categories: four-person teams, individual men, and individual women. Every participant wore a bib number and an electronic timing chip to record their performance. Along the race route, nine checkpoints (including supply stations) were set up to provide services such as timing, drinking water, food, and medical assistance. To ensure participant safety, a mountain rescue team was specially assigned to the mountainous sections of the course, with staff patrolling and searching approximately every 500 to 700 meters. Road sections were equipped with support vehicles to assist those who dropped out. Additionally, the organizers recruited over 100 university student volunteers to offer various services. At every checkpoint, participants received warm assistance and encouragement from the volunteers.
The top three finishers in each category of the race were awarded the Golden Foot Award, Silver Foot Award, and Bronze Foot Award, respectively. Among them, Ma Lei, the Golden Foot Award winner in the men’s 25-kilometer category, completed the challenge in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 58 seconds; international participant Duncan Frances completed the men’s 40-kilometer race in 5 hours, 20 minutes, and 36 seconds, earning the Bronze Foot Award; Liao Biwei won the Golden Foot Award in the women’s 25-kilometer category with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 1 second; the four-person team champion in the 25-kilometer category was formed by Mu Rong, Shi Tianzhan, and others, finishing in 4 hours, 50 minutes, and 41 seconds. All participants demonstrated a tenacious spirit of sportsmanship and self-challenge, successfully completing the mountain crossings and road treks.
Around 4:00 PM, most participants had completed the race and returned to the starting point. To liven up the atmosphere, promote interaction among participants, and foster camaraderie, the event organizer, the China Youth Development Foundation, held an outdoor charity auction. All auction items were donated by participants and priced by them. The proceeds from the live auction will continue to support the “Project Hope Happy Reading” initiative.
At 9:05 AM, the opening ceremony officially began. Gu Xiaojin, Executive Vice President of the China Youth Development Foundation, Wang Yuechun, Executive Editor-in-Chief of The Beijing News, Chen He’an, Standing Committee Member and United Front Work Department Minister of Yanqing County, and three charity ambassadors delivered brief but passionate speeches. At 9:20 AM, following the starting gun, nearly a thousand participants, led by charity ambassadors Huang Nubo, Zheng Yuanjie, and Tong Dawei, began their trekking race.
According to Gu Zhengzheng, Head of the Publicity Department of the China Youth Development Foundation, who was present at the event, the race featured two routes: 25 kilometers and 40 kilometers. These routes included both mountain crossings and road trekking, offering a high level of challenge. Each route was divided into three categories: four-person teams, individual men, and individual women. Every participant wore a bib number and an electronic timing chip to record their performance. Along the race route, nine checkpoints (including supply stations) were set up to provide services such as timing, drinking water, food, and medical assistance. To ensure participant safety, a mountain rescue team was specially assigned to the mountainous sections of the course, with staff patrolling and searching approximately every 500 to 700 meters. Road sections were equipped with support vehicles to assist those who dropped out. Additionally, the organizers recruited over 100 university student volunteers to offer various services. At every checkpoint, participants received warm assistance and encouragement from the volunteers.
The top three finishers in each category of the race were awarded the Golden Foot Award, Silver Foot Award, and Bronze Foot Award, respectively. Among them, Ma Lei, the Golden Foot Award winner in the men’s 25-kilometer category, completed the challenge in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 58 seconds; international participant Duncan Frances completed the men’s 40-kilometer race in 5 hours, 20 minutes, and 36 seconds, earning the Bronze Foot Award; Liao Biwei won the Golden Foot Award in the women’s 25-kilometer category with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 1 second; the four-person team champion in the 25-kilometer category was formed by Mu Rong, Shi Tianzhan, and others, finishing in 4 hours, 50 minutes, and 41 seconds. All participants demonstrated a tenacious spirit of sportsmanship and self-challenge, successfully completing the mountain crossings and road treks.
Around 4:00 PM, most participants had completed the race and returned to the starting point. To liven up the atmosphere, promote interaction among participants, and foster camaraderie, the event organizer, the China Youth Development Foundation, held an outdoor charity auction. All auction items were donated by participants and priced by them. The proceeds from the live auction will continue to support the “Project Hope Happy Reading” initiative.
Continuing love, honoring commitments, and fulfilling the reading dreams of rural children.
“This event is just the beginning. Helping rural children improve their reading abilities is something we will continue to do,” said Gu Zhengzheng, Head of the Publicity Department of the China Youth Development Foundation. “In addition to donating quality children’s books to rural primary schools, we will also train reading guidance teachers for recipient schools, establish library management systems, and promote the launch of ‘reading classes’ and reading sharing activities. The China Youth Development Foundation has designed a comprehensive funding process to ensure that the books are truly read, written about, listened to, and discussed by the students who benefit.”
While the charity trekking race itself was one aspect, many were more focused on how the China Youth Development Foundation would use the donations. After the event, fundraising efforts will continue until October 31, 2012. During this period, to allow participants to witness firsthand the lack of reading resources among children in mountain villages and to oversee the use of funds and book distribution by the China Youth Development Foundation, two field visit activities will be organized. Participants of the trekking race and donors can sign up to join these trips at their own expense. In early November, the China Youth Development Foundation will also host a fundraising sharing session, where participants can exchange experiences, share observations from the field visits, and awards will be presented for the Best Fundraising Award (to the participant who raised the most funds), the Fundraising Endurance Award (to the participant who engaged the most donors), and the Fundraising Mobilization Award (to the participant who mobilized the most participants).
Boarding the bus back to the city, through the sweat-drenched faces of the participants, one could almost see the joyful smiles of rural children, neatly stacked books in classrooms, and hear the sound of young, eager reading voices...
“This event is just the beginning. Helping rural children improve their reading abilities is something we will continue to do,” said Gu Zhengzheng, Head of the Publicity Department of the China Youth Development Foundation. “In addition to donating quality children’s books to rural primary schools, we will also train reading guidance teachers for recipient schools, establish library management systems, and promote the launch of ‘reading classes’ and reading sharing activities. The China Youth Development Foundation has designed a comprehensive funding process to ensure that the books are truly read, written about, listened to, and discussed by the students who benefit.”
While the charity trekking race itself was one aspect, many were more focused on how the China Youth Development Foundation would use the donations. After the event, fundraising efforts will continue until October 31, 2012. During this period, to allow participants to witness firsthand the lack of reading resources among children in mountain villages and to oversee the use of funds and book distribution by the China Youth Development Foundation, two field visit activities will be organized. Participants of the trekking race and donors can sign up to join these trips at their own expense. In early November, the China Youth Development Foundation will also host a fundraising sharing session, where participants can exchange experiences, share observations from the field visits, and awards will be presented for the Best Fundraising Award (to the participant who raised the most funds), the Fundraising Endurance Award (to the participant who engaged the most donors), and the Fundraising Mobilization Award (to the participant who mobilized the most participants).
Boarding the bus back to the city, through the sweat-drenched faces of the participants, one could almost see the joyful smiles of rural children, neatly stacked books in classrooms, and hear the sound of young, eager reading voices...