By Kay Zhang
On December 26, 2006, hundreds of Chinese celebrities gathered at the Beijing Kerry Center for a charity gala and dinner. Nearly RMB8.5 million was raised at the event to aid the Smile Angel Foundation, a new organization which helps children born with a cleft palate.

'Charity', a buzzword in China in 2006, was widely spoken from the central government to the local communities. While celebrities were usually placed at these charity events in the media, there were some negative stories surrounding the junction on celebrity and social cause.

Motive
It seems celebrities are often easily suspected by the Chinese public of helping charities to bolster their own name, rather than for an altruisitic cause. After all, they are in a world of vanity, and they are doing most of their activities under the spotlight, so the charity activity might be another show for the public.

It is true for some celebrities that charity is just a reason to be noticed. A story in Sichuan revealed this. The organizer planned a charity concert, but only a few singers responded to the invitations. So, the organizer had to find some agencies for seeking more performers. The result was beyond their expectations because most of the singers asked more than RMB200,000 for a song. That means without RMB5 million in payments to singers, the concert would not be held. Later this concert plan was abandoned, as well as the fundraising. Fans were disappointed, but ultimately the charities lost an opportunity. This case does not represent the whole picture of celebrities doing charity work–in many other situations they are quite responsive, like at the Kerry Centre event in Beijing.

Method
Parties, concerts and live appearances at which celebrities often appear on the screen, glamorous clothes, luxury accessories and fancy makeup, can all make it more like a fashion show rather than a fundraising event. However, there is another factor which should be mentioned, and that is the attention they receive because of their involvement in the fundraising, which in turn influences others to follow the same path. Charity seems like just an element to add in for such occasions. Maybe that is why they were questioned on the way to do it. A project called 'The Pink Ribbon' last summer in China was widely criticized because it used images of nudity. Similar events happened during the drive to raise funds for the Tsunami rescue operations.

Voices and worries from the celebrities
Too much attention can be a burden for the celebrities, especially when it comes to charity and it is considered by the public as an excuse for them to be noticed. That is why some Chinese celebrities try to hide something they contribute. Cui, a famous CCTV host, always tried to avoid talking to the media about his help for children in rural areas, although he is quite active. Maybe the comment from actor and co-founder of Smile Angel Foundation, Li Yapeng, explains it best: "It is embarrassing for the celebrities to work on charity, I don't want to do it in a loud way, and however it is difficult for it to be achievable in a quiet way. This dilemma makes me to think about drawing back sometimes."

Although it seems like some celebrities' behavior in dealing with charity events was somewhat controversial in 2006, one thing that should be remembered is that of their actions to walk into charity. No matter how much sincerity is involved, the influence that celebrities bring to the public as ambassadors or advocates is very evident. After all, to generate awareness is one of the key tasks for the support of a charity. They have limited time and energy–like everyone else in society–so as long as they are willing to share some time to help the needy, they should be welcomed and praised because the results are usually positive.

About the author:
Kay Zhang is PR Executive China of Care for Children. She previously worked for BDL Media in Beijing for three years before she obtained her Masters Degree in Marketing from London Metropolitan University.

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