CHINA'S MOST GENEROUS

The rise of private wealth is one of the most important developments in modern China, with implications for the country’s social, economic, and political arenas. How individuals choose to deploy such resources will shape the relationships between the individual and the state, between the state and business, and between the state and the social sector.

This project aims to strengthen understanding of China’s philanthropic landscape by analyzing the makeup and choices of China’s most generous individuals. We hope the introduction of a metric on level of generosity, while imperfect, will add a new dimension to the discussion on how China’s wealthy choose to support charitable causes. We welcome comments and suggestions on our analysis and methodology through the email address listed below. The findings compile data from a variety of sources including media reports, government databases, foundation annual reports, university websites and so on. 

Tony Saich – Ash Center Director. Tony directs a range of programs at the Harvard Kennedy School and teaches courses on comparative political institutions, democratic governance, and transitional economies with a focus on China. A former Chief Representative of the Ford Foundation in China, he also teaches and researches topics related to the development of China’s civil society and philanthropic sector.

Yunxin Li – Research Data Analyst. Yunxin is in charge of the data team and responsible for our project's data validation, analysis, and visualization. She develops the project plans, manages the project operation and oversees the overall project workflow. Yunxin received her M.S. in Business Analytics from Bentley University and a B.A. in Business Administration from Beijing Normal University.

Yutong Lu – Research Assistant. Yutong is responsible for data collection, cleaning, validation, and analysis of overall China Philanthropy data. She also helps in writing project report and updating methodology. Yutong received her Master’s degree in Global Health and Population from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Siqi Yang – Research Assistant. Siqi Yang is responsible for data collection, cleaning, validation, and analysis of overall China Philanthropy data. She also helps with writing and laying out the project report and visualizing the data. She received her Master’s degree in Publics from Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design from Pratt Institute.