Creating a philanthropic culture and citizenry in China : child and youth philanthropy

Su, Xuezhong (Steven)

Creating a philanthropic culture and citizenry in China : child and youth philanthropy

Su, Xuezhong (Steven)

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2015

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Su, Xuezhong (Steven)
dc.date.accessioned	2016-03-29T23:45:23Z
dc.date.available	2016-03-29T23:45:23Z
dc.date.issued	2015
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/43422
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.	en_AU
dc.description.abstract	This thesis looks at efforts to create a philanthropic culture and citizenry in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with a focus on education about philanthropy for young people. In this study philanthropy is defined as ‘the planned and structured giving of money, time, information, goods and services, and voice and influence, to improve the wellbeing of humanity and the community’ (‘Philanthropy’ n.d.). Efforts to teach children and youth about philanthropy are significant because of the relative newness of philanthropy as a concept in the PRC. Following the PRC’s founding in 1949 and the establishment of a socialist society, older forms of organized charity were eliminated from everyday life. Government-organized charities were established in the 1990s, but the Chinese government has only given policy support for the development of a domestic non-profit sector since the 1990s, and especially since the 2000s. The thesis begins by addressing the subject of philanthropy more broadly: What kinds of legal frameworks and institutions have government authorities put in place to promote the development of philanthropy in China? How have other actors and agencies been encouraged to engage in and promote that development? It then focuses on the subject of philanthropy education: What forms of philanthropic education have been developed for young people in the PRC? What particular capacities are Chinese children and youth expected to develop as a result of coming into contact with such education? These questions are addressed through a discursive examination of government documents on education and philanthropy and government-led campaigns to promote philanthropy and volunteering. The thesis also examines different media designed to popularize philanthropy. These include: two school textbooks on philanthropy developed with public and private funding; a national public service campaign aimed at teaching children how to be contemporary philanthropic citizens through a re-vitalization of the exemplary character Lei Feng, who was a socialist-era role model; and programming with philanthropy-related content on central and provincial television. The study reveals that philanthropy education in present-day China combines elements of neoliberal governmental rationalities with Chinese cultural forms, especially reconstituted concepts of ‘traditional Chinese virtues’ and ‘socialist’ imagery, ideals and practices. It is focused on the shaping and production of young Chinese people as simultaneously ‘Chinese’, socialist and international philanthropic citizens.	en_AU
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_AU	en_AU
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/43422/2/02whole.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/ppc
dc.subject	Philanthropic culture in China.	en
dc.subject	Citizenry.	en
dc.subject	Philanthropy education.	en
dc.subject	National public service campaign.	en
dc.title	Creating a philanthropic culture and citizenry in China : child and youth philanthropy	en_AU
dc.type	Thesis	en_AU
utslib.copyright.status	open_access

Abstract:

This thesis looks at efforts to create a philanthropic culture and citizenry in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with a focus on education about philanthropy for young people. In this study philanthropy is defined as ‘the planned and structured giving of money, time, information, goods and services, and voice and influence, to improve the wellbeing of humanity and the community’ (‘Philanthropy’ n.d.). Efforts to teach children and youth about philanthropy are significant because of the relative newness of philanthropy as a concept in the PRC. Following the PRC’s founding in 1949 and the establishment of a socialist society, older forms of organized charity were eliminated from everyday life. Government-organized charities were established in the 1990s, but the Chinese government has only given policy support for the development of a domestic non-profit sector since the 1990s, and especially since the 2000s. The thesis begins by addressing the subject of philanthropy more broadly: What kinds of legal frameworks and institutions have government authorities put in place to promote the development of philanthropy in China? How have other actors and agencies been encouraged to engage in and promote that development? It then focuses on the subject of philanthropy education: What forms of philanthropic education have been developed for young people in the PRC? What particular capacities are Chinese children and youth expected to develop as a result of coming into contact with such education? These questions are addressed through a discursive examination of government documents on education and philanthropy and government-led campaigns to promote philanthropy and volunteering. The thesis also examines different media designed to popularize philanthropy. These include: two school textbooks on philanthropy developed with public and private funding; a national public service campaign aimed at teaching children how to be contemporary philanthropic citizens through a re-vitalization of the exemplary character Lei Feng, who was a socialist-era role model; and programming with philanthropy-related content on central and provincial television. The study reveals that philanthropy education in present-day China combines elements of neoliberal governmental rationalities with Chinese cultural forms, especially reconstituted concepts of ‘traditional Chinese virtues’ and ‘socialist’ imagery, ideals and practices. It is focused on the shaping and production of young Chinese people as simultaneously ‘Chinese’, socialist and international philanthropic citizens.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/43422