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word of honor
05-26-2005, 11:50 AM
There's still time to get involved in the ongoing Jet Li ONE Foundation fundraiser peeps!
And not only that you might win an autographed Unleashed poster to boot :D
The raffle tix are cheap! paypal through www.tigerclawfoundation.org (raffle closes June 6th)
The second signed poster is now up on ebay here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32989&item=7518025334&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW) (auction ends May 31st)

GunnedDownAtrocity
05-26-2005, 12:18 PM
its in the tsunami thread but good lookin out. the more attention the better.

GeneChing
05-26-2005, 01:13 PM
We also have a thread on the TC Media forum (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36778). The Tiger Claw Foundation is our non-profit charitable arm. You'll see information on its work on the front page of every Kung Fu Tai Chi issue now. All donations are tax deductible.

GeneChing
09-25-2007, 12:04 PM
Just in case you were wondering if Jet's ONE Foundation was still active, here you go:

Jet Li's Foundation Embraces International Partner (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/09/25/902@277666.htm)
2007-09-25 16:09:22

Jet Li, founder of the One Foundation together with Thailand's Princess Ubol Ratana Ratchakaya Siriwattana Pannawadi, also chairperson of To Be Number One Foundation, launch a cooperative project at a ceremony held in Beijing on Tuesday, September 25, 2007. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Li Lianjie, known more commonly as Jet Li, a Chinese martial arts star and Red Cross Society ambassador, together with Princess Ubol Ratana Ratchakaya Siriwattana Pannawadi of Thailand announced a joint charity project in Beijing on Tuesday.

With the common focus of providing help to young people, the One Foundation led by Li and the To Be Number One Foundation led by Princess Ubol will join hands for the initiative.

This is the first time that the One Foundation has united with an international group since its launch in April 2007.

Jet Li said at the opening ceremony in Beijing that the One Foundation is expecting to cooperate with more and more international organizations.

As a first of its kind, the One Foundation highlights proper guidelines for juveniles, reaching out a helping hand to youngsters suffering from mental illness.

Princess Ubol shares the One Foundation's mission of caring for youth. Her Royal Highness is the chairperson of Thailand's To Be Number One Foundation, which promotes healthy living habits among youngsters and fights against drug abuse.

The To Be Number One Foundation has a sponsorship team of over 3000 people, and has set up over 30 "friend corners" to help young people aged 10 to 24 get away from drugs.

Jet Li and Princess Ubol exchanged gifts at the ceremony to cement their sincerity for the collaboration.

Jet Li's foundation has gained increasing attention of late with more and more celebrities taking part. The foundation has drawn over 300 people from all walks of life to sign up as volunteers.

GeneChing
10-12-2007, 11:32 AM
Check out the pic (http://www.alivenotdead.com/attachments/2007/10/26_200710121409233.thumb.jpg).

Jet blogged about it on his site.

GeneChing
11-13-2007, 11:02 AM
This relates to what Jet said to me for the Jet Li Is Fearless (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=670) article in our 2006 September/October issue (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=671).


Jet Li launches project to help mentally ill youth (http://www.alivenotdead.com/viewnews_53754.html?r=andhpnewsbig)

Chinese martial arts film star Jet Li launched another charity project in Beijing on Saturday, aiming to help youth suffering from mental health problems, Beijing Daily Messenger reports.

Jet Li, creator of the "One Foundation", visited three colleges, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, on Saturday to promote the project.

He introduced that the project is part of his One Foundation, and that 580,000 yuan has been spent on establishing consultation centres in 58 universities around China.

Meanwhile, another 420,000 yuan has been earmarked for special programs, making the total donation one million yuan.

The One Foundation works in cooperation with the Red Cross Society of China.

doug maverick
11-13-2007, 03:31 PM
say what ou want about the guy he helps people and thats what being famous is really about using your celbrity to help causes

GeneChing
12-21-2007, 10:38 AM
TalkAsia - CNN


Up close with Jet Li (http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/21/tvnradio/19824530&sec=tvnradio)

JET Li (pic) joins host Anjali Rao and a live studio audience for a special edition of CNN’s Talk Asia (Astro channel 511) airing this weekend. Li reveals during the interview how wushu (martial arts) led him to Hollywood fame, thoughts on meeting the US President, his relationship with the Dalai Lama and how the 2004 tsunami changed his whole perspective on life.

Catch Li on Talk Asia tomorrow at 8.30am with repeats on Sunday (midnight, 9.30am and 10pm).

Li’s name is synonymous with wushu and his world-class skills in the discipline led to his international break in the box office smash, Lethal Weapon 4.

He talks about how violence and death are portrayed on screen and talks about the Oscar-nominated film, Hero.

Li also explains his proudest moment in life goes back to being handpicked by his coach at the age of 11 to represent his country on a goodwill tour in the United States. He performed on the White House lawn for former US President Richard Nixon, Chinese leaders and other heads of state.

The award-winning actor reveals that the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon script was originally tailor-made for him, but he has no regrets after turning it down, something he repeated with the Wachowski brothers’ Matrix trilogy.

China’s highest paid actor also discusses his extensive humanitarian work. He talks about his near brush with death when holidaying with his family in the Maldives as the 2004 tsunami hit, an experience that inspired him to set up the One Foundation. For more information, visit www.cnn.com/talkasia.

GeneChing
01-24-2008, 06:39 PM
it could be you.


Jet Li Looking for Personal Assistant (http://www.hapihour.org/?p=109#more-109)
Filed Under (Announcements) by Keith Kamisugi on 23-01-2008

The awesome Jet Li is looking for a new personal assistant.

“As you know, I’m have left my current position with Jet, however, I am helping him through the transition until we find a new assistant,” said Jason Lin in an email that reached me through a listserv. “It’s a very unique time to be working with Jet not only because his films keep getting bigger (with Forbidden Kingdom and Mummy 3 releasing later this year) but also he is deeply involved in philanthropy. … I will continue to work with Jet on his foundation but we need someone to carry on the full-time job in the role of the assistant.”

Here’s the job description:

ASSISTANT TO “HIGH LEVEL CHINESE CELEBRITY/PHILANTHROPIST.”

Area of Focus: film, non-profit (in order of work priority)

Location: Based in Asia

Job Description: You are invited to explore the opportunity to learn and work with high level Chinese celebrity/philanthropist and learn the inner workings of the film industry in both the United States and China . The majority of work will involve hands-on involvement in building a world-class foundation from the grounds up. This will involve meetings with numerous high-level business and government officials to build and develop philanthropy in China and on a worldwide basis. Employee will perform all the usual and customary duties of a personal assistant, including, but not limited to, review and respond to correspondence; scheduling appointments; translation of conversations and correspondence; organizing personal matters; and other duties that may be assigned. Please visit one-foundation.com to better understand the world of this high level Chinese celebrity/philanthropist.

Desired qualifications:
-Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English
-Degree from top-tier university with high GPA
-At least 2 years of work experience in consulting, banking, a large multinational, studio or equivalent experience
-Strong attention to detail
-Strong analytical ability
-Ability to follow through with projects and follow instructions as given
-Ability to travel frequently (50%)

Send cover letters and resumes to Jason Lin at cjasonlin@gmail.com.

GeneChing
01-31-2008, 10:57 AM
Here's the Chinese news piece (http://ent.tom.com/2008-01-30/000E/35907338.html).

Here's the babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr) version.

"one fund" allocates funds 950000 to rescue the snow disaster to appeal whole family each other is warm
Http://ent.tom.com on January 30, 2008 17 o'clock 58 minuteTom entertainment
Essential character: Li Lianjie one fund

FromOn January 10The start, south our country encounters the serious snow disaster which 50 years does not meet, the disaster area involves our country 14 provinces and cities areas, the disaster situation is extremely serious. In after Red Cross Society of China general meeting comprehensive understanding disaster situation, Red Cross Society of ChinaLi Lianjie(newest dynamic,personal record file) one fund plan decision allocates funds 950,000 Yuan to hit by disaster the provinces and cities area to 14 to carry on the as far as possible commodity rescue, simultaneously appealed the entire society moves together, "the whole family" own helps oneself, each other is warm, spends together the difficulty.

95ten thousand transmits family member compassion 14to hit by disaster the province to deliver warm

Since the snow disaster has occurred, Red Cross Society of China Li Lianjie one fund plan management committee member and the crew, the continuously close attention disaster situation, carries on the communication every day with the Red Cross Society of China general meeting, the understanding newest disaster situation and Red Cross's concrete disaster relief situation.

Finally, "one fund" the management committee makes the consistent resolution: Instigates the friendly funds, hits by disaster the provinces and cities area to 14 to carry on the as far as possible commodity rescue. Stipulated according to the national related disaster relief, at Red Cross general meeting after each place disaster situation unification analysis, friendly funds assignment plan as follows:

Hits by disaster the most serious Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou and Anhui five provinces, each province respectively allocates funds 100,000 Yuan, other Jiangxi, Henan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang and so on 9 provinces, each province respectively allocates funds 50,000 Yuan. Amounts to 950,000 Yuan, the friendly funds completely will use in to purchase the disaster relief rice under, will unify by each place Red Cross sends.

Since this has been "one fund" had been established, uses in the disaster relief aspect biggest friendly funds, also is at the same time faces many disaster areas implementation for the first time the rescue motion. Regarding this, "one fund" the staff indicated, because this time hits by disaster the surface to be extremely broad, one fund can give the material rescue is very limited, hoped through these rescues, transmits "the whole family" to the disaster area people the concern and the love. Because "one fund" collects each Yuan, all is condensing an each contributor's compassion, "one fund" while carries on the material rescue, hoped transmits each family member's love to the disaster area people, lets them know oneself certainly alone faces the wind and snow, the innumerable family members' heart and they link in the same place.

Appealed "the whole family" moves each other warm to spend together the difficulty together

While transfers the friendly funds to carry on the commodity rescue, "one fund" also specially "the family member" launches the appeal to the body place disaster area, hoped under the as far as possible condition, everybody may move together, starts from the side minor matter, from helps the personal maidservant to start, each other warm spends together the difficulty.

When one fund plans initiator Mr. Li Lianjie, the review by oneself experience tsunami, most is affected is, does not divide the nationality facing the disaster people, does not divide the race, hand in hand together supports the scene which faces together. Therefore, "one fund" "" the family member launches the appeal to the body place disaster area, "the whole family" mutually helps, is mutually warm.

Perhaps a glove, a cotton cap, may give the severely cold center a child warmth, helps them to resist the wind and snow;

Cup of lukewarm water, a bowl soak the surface, perhaps may let be detained in the train station passenger, temporarily forgets the hunger and cold, feels the proficient warmth;

Snows the elimination which sweeps clear, a shovel ices up, perhaps may let the vehicles smoothly pass through, the transportation replies as soon as possible;

Perhaps even, a warm salute, a warm smiling face, may let the person have the courage to face the disaster, and finally defeats the disaster.

GeneChing
02-25-2008, 10:36 AM
What a score for the for the Harvard wushu club.


Jet Li Fights for Global Teamwork (http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=521956)
Published On Tuesday, February 19, 2008 1:55 AM
By JOHNNY H. HU
Contributing Writer

World-renowned actor and martial-arts champion Jet Li spoke to a packed audience at Loeb Drama Center yesterday afternoon, offering advice to Harvard students on everything from how to build a successful marriage to how to view the world with a global perspective.

The speech was organized by the Harvard College Association for US-China Relations (HAUSCR) and Initiating Mutual Understanding through Student Exchange (IMUSE), a collaboration between students at Harvard, Tsinghua, and Peking Universities.

The event also featured a performance by the Harvard Wushu Club, a panel discussion between students from both China and Harvard, and a question-and-answer session with the audience.

In his remarks, Li asked audience members to think of themselves as humans, rather than identifying by their country of origin.

“We are very small, but we can change the world,” Li said, adding that no matter where one lives, everyone has the same hopes.

Li cited the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean as an example of people from various backgrounds coming together to help each other.

Li was in the Maldives at the time and had to be pulled out of the water with his baby daughter because of the rapidly rising tides.

“I yelled ‘help,’ [and] in a moment, I see 200 people from different countries, different cultures, different religions, helping each other,” Li said.

Li added that he realized then that it was the “right time for me to give back to the world.”

The One Foundation, founded by Li last year, asks supporters to donate one dollar per month in support of international disaster relief, among other efforts.

Anthony T. Zhang ’08 said he was surprised by Li’s speech because he “didn’t know very much about his humanitarian efforts.”

Zhang said he had “always thought of [Li] as an actor” rather than as a humanitarian.

But he added that what Li said “made a lot of sense.”

The event also had its lighter moments.

Li was asked how he has managed to keep such a lasting relationship with his wife, and he replied that love is “not just about receiving but also giving.”

Li also talked about how his mental training in martial arts has helped him explain a lot in his life.

“From my viewpoint, there is no real right and wrong.” Li said, adding that he thinks everything can be viewed from two complementary viewpoints, the yin and the yang.

The event was sponsored in part by the Beijing Olympic Committee.

In an interview conducted in Mandarin before yesterday’s event, Li said that this summer’s Beijing Olympics will be a time when eyes from all around the world will be focused on China.

While China has already transformed itself into a modern global power, the Olympics will be one of the first chances for the rest of the world to appreciate these developments, Li added.

Fifteen student delegates made the trip from China to speak on campuses across the United States and Canada as part of the IMUSE program, with Harvard their first stop.

When asked before the event about their experience here at Harvard, they praised Harvard’s dining hall food but said students in China have more of a social life because they live closer together.

During the panel discussion, when asked about his impressions of America, Robert Wei from Peking University said the “diversity in this society” represented the “harmony” in America.

Rachel Li, another delegate from Peking who is not related to the actor, said she was “impressed by the hospitality of the American people.”

GunnedDownAtrocity
02-25-2008, 12:01 PM
small clips from the event (or at least i think its the same one):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rrhqkwdAA4Y

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n080FgjiPiA&feature=related

GeneChing
03-05-2008, 01:29 PM
This is a big year for Jet and Jackie.


Film Tycoon Unites One Foundation for Charity (http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/03/05/1241@330380.htm)
2008-03-05 19:14:22 CRIENGLISH.com

China's film industry leader Huayi Brothers Film Corporation officially announced their cooperation with One Foundation, the charity fund launched by Chinese kung fu master Jet Li, in a press conference held in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, March 5.

Wang Zhongjun, CEO of Huayi Brothers, said that Huayi, together with their partners, four major theater companies, will donate part of their box office income in the next decade to One Foundation for charity. If one film ticket was sold, Huayi Brothers would donate 0.1 yuan and the related theater would donate 0.01yuan. And the donation starts from the action blockbuster "The Forbidden Kingdom", which is scheduled to premiere in North America on April 18.

Starring Jet Li and another superstar Jackie Chan, the movie has been the focus of public attention since shooting began. This film marks the first collaboration between two stars. It is estimated to break the box office record by Peter Chan's epic movie the Warlords in 2007.

Jet Li, who was present at the press conference, was very glad to have this tycoon on board. "Since the fund's launch last year, many film companies, directors and actors have offered help to the One Foundation. Today, we have set up cooperation with Huayi Brothers. That means more and more celebrity friends will join in to promote the charity campaign". Jet Li is confident that his fund will benefit more people. It's believed the two joining hands will result in more donations for the One Foundation.

Last April, Jet Li put his years' plan into reality and launched the One Foundation, hoping to help youth suffering from mental health problems, as well as victims of natural disasters. After near a year's effort, he persuaded many entrainment stars to get involved in the project, including Jackie Chan, Jay Chou, Andy Lau and Peter Chan.

GeneChing
04-17-2008, 09:36 AM
We supported the ONE Foundation in 2005. Why ONE turning one now?


Jet Li's Charity Fund Turns One (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/04/17/1261@347251.htm)
2008-04-17 21:10:24 CRIENGLISH.com

Jet Li walks into a press conference held at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing celebrating the one-year anniversary of his charity fund, the One Foundation, on Thursday, April 17, 2008. At the event, Jet Li led staff workers to review the foundation's development and introduced future plans. The disaster-relief One Foundation was jointly launched by Jet Li and the Red Cross Society of China to encourage each person to donate one yuan (14 US cents) per month.

GeneChing
11-14-2008, 05:12 PM
Donna has her hand on a strange boy in make up.

Donatella Versace, Jet Li Visit Quake Zone (http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/11/12/1261s423361.htm)
2008-11-12 16:21:55 CRIENGLISH.com

Italian fashion icon Donatella Versace and Chinese action star Jet Li visit a children's center in Sanjiang, close to the May 12 earthquake epicenter in southwestern China's Sichuan Province, November 11, 2008. The center, funded by Versace through Li's One Foundation, provides psychological consultations to quake-affected youngsters.

GeneChing
12-19-2008, 04:33 PM
I didn't find anything on the Esquire site (http://www.esquire.com/) yet.


Zhang Yimou, Jet Li among 'Men of 2008' (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2008/12/18/1261s434065.htm)
2008-12-18 09:00:47 Xinhua

Thirty Chinese celebrities, including famous director Zhang Yimou and action star Jet Li, were honored as "Esquire Men of the Year 2008" in Beijing on Tuesday.

The fifth annual event was hosted by the well-known magazine Esquire (Shishangxiansheng in Chinese). Zhang won for crafting exceptional opening and closing ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics, while Jet Li was honored for starting the charity fund, the One Foundation.

GeneChing
01-12-2009, 10:49 AM
I didn't even realize there was such a contest for Reader's Digest...

Jet Li is Asian of the Year (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=28877)
by Maria J.Dass

PETALING JAYA (Jan 4, 2009): Action actor Jet Li, with a string of box office hits like The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and The Forbidden Kingdom, was named Reader's Digest Asian of the Year for his dedication towards helping disaster-hit victims and the less fortunate.

Li declined an award ceremony in his honour but plans to donate the US$5,000 (RM18,000) award money to charity.

The actor was noted mainly for his efforts in mobilising aid to people in disaster zones via the Red Cross Jet Li One Foundation which he founded.

The foundation took two years to set up after much research and study went into setting up an organisation that could provide quick and relevant aid to victims in disaster areas.

Li spoke with academics around the world and spent time at philanthropic organisations, such as the Rockefeller Foundation, to learn what makes a successful non-governmental organisation (NGO).

It all started when Li was caught up in the real life horror of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Maldives where he was on holiday with his wife Nina, two young daughters and nanny.

Li and his family survived the disaster but it served as an important wake-up call. A few days after the incident, Li donated 500,000 yuan (RM255,755) to victims of the tsunami and used another 500,000 yuan to start the foundation – the Red Cross Jet Li One Foundation launched in China in April 2007.

Though it operates independently of the Red Cross, the relationship with the organisation allows it to operate public fund-raising activities in China and get a quick, accurate picture of the extent of unfolding disasters.

The foundation also built strong relationships with partners like airlines and has thus been able to react very quickly, when a natural disaster occurs.

The foundation has raised nearly US$16 million (RM47.6 million) in just over 18 months and has helped a number of disaster relief efforts, including the Yunnan Puer earthquake and the snowstorms that paralysed much of southern China in early 2008.

“I think too often something happens, people die, you see the photos and then you start donating. But by the time the money reaches the people, it’s already quite a few days after the disaster and you’re not even sure it’s reaching them,” said Li.

“What I want is to be prepared, have a little money aside so that when something happens, we’re ready to move in quickly.”

Li’s story is published in all the Asian editions of Reader's Digest January 2009 magazine to inspire millions of readers across Asia. The podcast interview with Jet Li is available on www.rdasia.com.

The <Reader's Digest Asian of the Year is selected by the editors of Reader’s Digest magazines in Asia as the person who best embodies the contemporary expression of Asia’s values and traditions.

GeneChing
02-04-2009, 10:48 AM
Click for photos

Jet Li among Davos forum's Crystal Award winners (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/01/content_10744832.htm)
www.chinaview.cn 2009-02-01 13:05:05
Forum's Crystal Awards winners (L to R), Indian dancer Mallika Sarabhai, Venezuela's Jose A. Abreu, Chinese actor Jet Li and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan pose after being honoured during the Forum's Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 31, 2009. The Forum's Crystal Award honours artists who have used their art to improve the state of the world.

Forum's Crystal Awards winners (L to R), Indian dancer Mallika Sarabhai, Venezuela's Jose A. Abreu, Chinese actor Jet Li and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan pose after being honoured during the Forum's Crystal Award ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos Jan. 31, 2009. The Forum's Crystal Award honours artists who have used their art to improve the state of the world.


02 February 2009
Corporate responsibly should not be forgotten during the economic downturn, two leading figures have urged.
Archbishop Tutu and Jet Li urge firms to act responsibly (http://www.i-l-m.com/members/2363.aspx?articleid=19002682&articleheading=Archbishop+Tutu+and+Jet+Li+urge+fir ms+to+act+responsibly)

Businesses should not lose sight of corporate responsibility issues because of the economic downturn, according to two leading figures.

Speaking at an event hosted by Deloitte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Jet Li, an actor and the man behind the One Foundation charity, called on firms to work together to improve society.

"If we apply the ethic of family to the way we conduct ourselves, our businesses or government, then we could feed the world," Archbishop Tutu said.

All firms have a part to play in helping to make the world a more equal place, Mr Li added.

Jim Quigley, global chief executive officer at Deloitte, stated that scaling back corporate responsibility schemes during tough times is "not the right approach".

His colleague John Connolly suggested that firms integrate such activities into their business plan as this can help with other issues such as recruitment and talent management.

At the start of the year, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, called on the government and businesses to start a "green industrial revolution" in 2009.

GeneChing
03-31-2009, 09:33 AM
There's three nice pics on the site.

Blair and Jet Li sign cooperation plan on climate (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2009-03/27/content_7622552.htm)
By By Li Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-27 08:56

Countries should work together to reach a global agreement at the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks, former British prime minister Tony Blair said in Beijing yesterday.

"The biggest challenge is how the developed and developing worlds put their efforts together," Blair said.

"My point of view is not to force people to do the impossible but to do the maximum possible in a practical approach, such as technology exchanges and fostering the development of poorer countries."

Putting China under carbon reduction obligations is not realistic at the moment, he said. Instead of blaming one another for not doing enough, countries should strengthen cooperation to address more "practical problems".

For example, deforestation has become the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, generating between 15 to 20 percent of the world's total carbon emissions, which is about four times that of the aviation industry.

"So a practical measure would be for the world to work out a plan to deal with deforestation," Blair said.

Governments are obliged to take the initiative in designing policy frameworks, which will provide incentives for the business sector to develop and implement climate-friendly technologies, Blair said.

The financial crisis provides more business opportunities for green industries, as stimulus packages in many countries emphasized clean energy.

"I think China's business sector will play a key role in combating climate change," Blair said.

"And China has already unveiled radical plans to foster renewable energies."

He applauded China's goal of increasing renewable energy use to account for 15 percent of its total energy mix by 2020 and said the world needs to understand how radical the country's measures are.

Faced with the global financial crisis and mounting trade protectionism, Blair also warned the world should be wary of "backdoor" protectionism - for example, using environmental standards as an excuse.

"This will be a most difficult part of discussions (for G20 leaders), but it is very important we take a firm stance against any form of protectionism," Blair said.

GeneChing
04-06-2009, 09:29 AM
The World Health Organisation has chosen Chinese action movie star Jet Li as a Goodwill Ambassador to champion key health issues, the UN agency said Friday.


Action movie star Jet Li appointed WHO ambassador (http://english.sina.com/entertainment/p/2009/0403/231228.html)
2009-04-03 15:59:26 GMT2009-04-03 23:59:26 (Beijing Time) SINA.com

GENEVA – The World Health Organisation has chosen Chinese action movie star Jet Li as a Goodwill Ambassador to champion key health issues, the UN agency said Friday.

"Jet Li is expected to use his worldwide celebrity to raise attention on key health issues including public health responses to emergencies and mental health," the WHO said in a statement.

He will attend the launch of the World Health Day in Beijing on April 7 in his new WHO capacity.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan -- who hails from Hong Kong -- said his involvement in community work would be a "great asset" to the WHO.

In December 2004, Beijing-born Jet Li and his family had a brush with death as they were in a Maldives hotel which was flooded during the tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean.

Following that incident, he turned to philantrophy and started a charity called One Foundation, which aims to help victims of natural disasters.

On his latest appointment, Jet Li said: "If we do not take care of our bodies, we will not be able to do many things. This is our common belief, and I will do my very best to spread this shared belief to the world."

He began learning Chinese martial arts from the age of eight and was a national champion. He started his film career at 17, after retiring from the sport.

Lucas
05-08-2009, 09:39 AM
I did that one time when I was drunk :p

seriously though, thats awesome. Jet Li is a great guy and does a lot for charity. Good luck and have fun!

Tensei85
05-09-2009, 07:26 AM
Wow that's awesome! I wish I could attend, unfortunately I won't be going back to China til next year. But that's great Jet Li deserves all the hype.

GeneChing
05-11-2009, 09:42 AM
Hopefully Andy will give us a firsthand report (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=933861)...

 壹家人 壹起走——纪念5.12大型公益活动在汶川举行 (7)(图)
2009-05-10 20:19:52 来源: 人民网(北京) (http://news.163.com/09/0510/20/58VRVCCO000120GR.html)

人民网四川5月10日电(记者 常薇) “壹家人 壹起走——纪念5.12同行汶川路”大型公益活动,今日上午11时在汶川县映秀镇举行。中国红十字会李连杰 “壹基金”以短途行走的方式,探访地震一年后的四川,旨在缅怀大地震的惨痛经历,见证我们面对巨灾表现出的 非凡勇气和顽强的生命力。中国红十字会副会长郭长江,“壹基金”管委会主任和创始人李连杰,演艺明星吴彦祖 、林心如、钟丽缇、柯以敏、钟汉良、张杰、凤凰卫视主持人沈星、"变脸大师"彭登怀以及多名知名企业家代表均以壹基金义工的身份与200多名壹基金志愿者一起参加了两公里路程的行走活 动。该活动起点为5?12地震震中纪念碑,穿越被震毁的百花大桥,到达终点——牛眠沟震源点。

  刘德华、李冰冰、郭涛、杨紫琼、黄秋生、冯小刚、徐帆、孙红雷等因故不能赶来,但都力挺这项意义深远的 公益活动。并通过VCR发表感言。美国前总统克林顿也通过视频发表了感言,他说:“去年四川遭受了重大地震 ,全世界都很关注。四川人坚强地面对灾难,以热情的姿态重建家园,这非常了不起。李连杰先生发起的‘壹家人 ,壹起走’活动也很伟大,它把大家团结在一起改变未来,我深受感动。”

  李连杰代表“壹基金”表示,“第一次搞这样的活动,可能经验不足,我们希望以后每年都会有这样的活动, 每年的主题会不一样,明年有可能是环保主题,壹基金希望通过这样的活动唤起更多的人支持公益事业。我们会将 这个活动持续下去,希望人们能在每年的5.12都能想起这个活动。每年的活动地点可能会不同,具体要以四川 重建的规模和进度来定。”

  关于壹基金:

  壹基金是由李连杰先生发起的立足于中国的国际性公益组织,分别在中国大陆及香港地区、美国和新加坡设立 了办事机构。在中国大陆地区,壹基金与中国红十字总会合作,成立了“中国红十字会李连杰壹基金计划”,致力 于传播公益文化,搭建公益平台,以推动公益事业的发展;同时,为各种自然灾难提供尽可能的人道援助。在中国 香港地区,壹基金集中资源发展公益人才教育项目,合作设立培训中心,资助中国内地公益领袖以及社会企业家的 学习深造,并积极参与香港地区的公益项目。 (本文来源:

the babelfish version (http://babelfish.yahoo.com/)

 People's net four Sichuan, May 10 - (by Chang Wei) “one family member one walks - - commemorates 5.12 to travel together the Wenchuan road” the large-scale public welfare activity, today 11:00 am holds in the Wenchuan County Yingxiu Town. Red Cross Society of China Li Lianjie “one fund” the way which walks by the short distance, visitation earthquake one year later four Sichuan, is for the purpose of cherishing the memory of the big earthquake the deeply grieved experience, the testimony we the extraordinary courage which and the tenacious vitality displays facing the great disaster. Red Cross Society of China Vice-chairman Guo Yangtze River, “one fund” management meeting director and founder Li Lianjie, performance star Wu Yanzu, Lin Xinru, Zhongliti, Ke Yimin, Zhong Han are good, Zhang Jie, Phoenix TV director Shen Xing, “turned hostile master " Peng Denghuai as well as many well-known entrepreneurs represents together participates in two kilometers distances by one fund voluntary worker's status with more than 200 one fund volunteers to walk the activity. This active beginning is 5? 12 earthquake center monument, passes through the hundred flowers bridge which shakes destroys, arrives at end point - - Niu Miangou the center of origin spot.

  Liu Dehua, Li Bing ice, Guo Tao, Yang Ziqiong, Huang Qiusheng, Feng Xiaogang, Xu Fan, Sun Honglei and so on not to be able to catch up with for some reason, but supports this significance profound public welfare activity. And makes the words expressing feelings through VCR. American former president Clinton has also made the words expressing feelings through the video frequency, he said: “four Sichuan suffered the significant earthquake last year, the world very much has paid attention. The native of Sichuan person faces the disaster strongly, rebuilds one's homeland by the enthusiasm posture, this is great. Mr. Li Lianjie initiates the `one family member, one walks ' the activity to be very also great, it will unite everybody is changing together the future, I will be greatly touched.”

  Li Lianjie represents “one fund” the expression, “first time carries on such activity, possibly is insufficiently experienced, we hoped that the later every year will have such activity, every year's subject meets is dissimilar, next year will have the possibility is the environmental protection subject, one fund hoped that will arouse more people through such activity to support the public utility. We will continue this activity, hoped that the people can 5.12 be able to remember this activity in every year. Every year's operating location will be possibly different, must specifically the scale which and the progress will reconstruct by four Sichuan decides.”

  About one fund:

  One fund is the foothold which initiates by Mr. Li Lianjie in China's international public welfare organization, separately in mainland China and Hong Kong area, the US and Singapore has set up the administrative body. In mainland China area, one fund and the Red Cross Society of China cooperation, has established “the Red Cross Society of China Li Lianjie one fund plan”, devotes in the dissemination public welfare culture, the build public welfare platform, promotes public utility's development; At the same time, provides the humanitarian aid as far as possible for each kind of natural disaster. In the Chinese Hong Kong area, one fund centralism resources development public welfare talented person educates the project, the cooperation sets up the training center, subsidizes the China public welfare leader as well as the social entrepreneur's study pursues advanced studies, and participates in Hong Kong area positively the public welfare project.

GeneChing
05-12-2009, 09:36 AM
click link for six pics.

Jet Li and 'Family' (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/05/11/1261s483570.htm)
2009-05-11 11:29:17 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Xie Tingting
Action superstar Jet Li and his charity organization, the One Foundation, recently launched the "One Family, One Walk" campaign to mark the one-year anniversary of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake.

Check out our Martial Arts Benefit for Quake Victims thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50969) for an update.

GeneChing
08-14-2009, 10:05 AM
...but worthy of mention.

Aug 14, 2009
Jet Li joins typhoon fundraiser (http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_416694.html)

TAIPEI- CHINESE action star Jet Li will join a star-studded fundraiser for victims of Typhoon Morakot on Friday and later visit flood-ravaged southern Taiwan, organisers said.

Li and Hong Kong star Andy Lau will accompany more than 200 Taiwanese entertainers fronting a major fundraising event tonight, said organiser Red Cross Taiwan.

Li, who had also donated 300,000 yuan (S$63,489) to the recovery cause, is set to travel to the worst-hit southern Kaohsiung county to visit shelters and console survivors over the weekend, it said.

Another Hong Kong superstar, action hero Jackie Chan, is unable to attend but is expected to speak at the televised event by phone in an effort to drive up donations.

Taiwan's first lady Chow Mei-ching and Vice President Vincent Siew's wife Chu Shu-hsien will also take donation pledges over the phone from the Taiwanese public at the event.

The island's charities and companies had donated more than four billion Taiwan dollars (S$180 million) for typhoon relief as of Friday, reports said, while HK tycoon Li Ka-shing had pledged 100 million Taiwan dollars.

The powerful typhoon triggered the island's worst floods in half a century, and President Ma Ying-jeou warned the island-wide death toll of 117 would likely rise to more than 500 as fears mounted for those missing. -- AFP

SPJ
08-14-2009, 06:51 PM
...but worthy of mention.

very cool.

:cool:

GeneChing
08-25-2009, 09:31 AM
Interesting project.

Blair, Li to light 1,000 villages through solar power (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-08/25/content_8613890.htm)
By Hu Yang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-25 14:36

Blair, Li to light 1,000 villages through solar power

Chinese kungfu star Jet Li and former British prime minister Tony Blair chat while visiting Baigong Village, in Guiyang, Aug 22, 2009. The village will be the first one to benefit from a project jointly launched by Blair's Climate Group and Li's One Foundation to use solar-powered LEDs to light 1,000 Asian and African villages in the next five years. [One Foundation]

Former British prime minister Tony Blair and Chinese kungfu star Jet Li jointly launched a project to use solar-powered LEDs to light the countryside while visiting Baigong Village, in Guiyang, the capital of southwestern China's Guizhou province on Aug 22.

Blair was representing the Climate Group, a non-profit he helped creat, and Jet Li represented One Foundation, which he founded and focuses on education, health, environmental, poverty projects and disaster relief.

During the first two years, the goal is for 400 Chinese villages to be lit by solar-powered LED lights. Over the following three years, another 600 villages in China, India and some African countries will also be lit through solar power.

The lighting project is the two organizations' first joint program since they signed a strategic cooperation memorandum in March. Initially, One Foundation will provide funds for the project, though as it expands, money will come from other financial organizations as well.

GeneChing
10-23-2009, 04:51 PM
He better do some kung fu in the Expendables (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52438).


A hero reborn -- Jet Li's world mission (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/13/content_12222315.htm)
www.chinaview.cn 2009-10-13 13:41:45
by Xinhua writer Wu Chen

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Li Lianjie refuses to strike a kung fu pose for photographers.

"I don't like violence at all," says the action movie star better known to English-speaking audiences as Jet Li.

The devout Buddhist has had an epiphany -- film-making is now just a hobby, and philanthropy is his career and life.

The turning point occurred in 2004, when Li and his family, holidaying in the Maldives, were caught in the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.

"It's not like in the movies. The water just rose so fast. I picked up my 4-year-old daughter Jane and the baby-sitter got Jada, and we ran to the hotel (from the beach). The water was up to my waist, and a second later, it was up to my chest."

The experience made him realize the insignificance of his skills and achievements in the face of Nature's power.

"All the money and power in the world cannot save you from the waves. I had to do something...," Li says.

It was the culmination of seven years of studying Buddhist doctrine and travelling the world looking for a meaning to his life.

After talking with his wife, former Hong Kong actress Nina Li Chi, he donated 500,000 Hong Kong dollars to tsunami-affected people in a charity show made by celebrities in Hong Kong and put another 500,000 into setting up a charitable foundation.

The One Foundation, formally established in 2007, is based on the notion that if each person donates at least 1 yuan a month, the individual donations can be transformed into a much greater fund, Li says.

"I want to spread the idea that not only millionaires, celebrities and leaders, but each individual shares the responsibility to help others. We just need to offer help within our abilities," he says.

More than a million volunteers have since registered on the One Foundation website, donating their money or time.

Disaster relief is one of its main causes and it gave 78 million yuan for relief and reconstruction after last year's May 12 earthquake in southwest China.

It plans to train a professional fast-response relief team of 400 volunteers to help official relief organizations.

Li uses every opportunity to talk about the foundation, but the very concept of the foundation has prompted many to ask exactly how much Li himself contributes.

The answer is a private matter, he always responds. "'Donation competition' is not part of the One Foundation's concept."

He has another aim for the foundation, which also breaks new ground in Chinese concepts of charity: he wants to make it an enterprise, aimed at the social good, that is financially self-sustainable.

In a trial project, Qiang ethnic women in the quake zone were trained in traditional embroidery skills and helped to sell their products.

From a 4-million-yuan investment has come a profit of 10 million yuan, plus jobs for 7,000 women, whose monthly incomes have risen from 300 yuan before the quake to 700 yuan.

But the foundation is reluctant to take out the profit as the public will ask "How could you make money from quake survivors?" he says. "Chinese people jump to moral judgments."

He knows the charity must be properly managed as a corporation. The foundation has invited audits by accounting firms Deloitte and KPMG to do audits. Quarterly progress reports are issued on its website to let the public know where every yuan goes.

His "Philanthropy Awards" are setting new standards for charities in China and helping international donors find suitable organizations for cooperation.

"We want a platform for the better development of domestic non-governmental organizations," Li says.

"Credibility, professionalism, execution and sustainability" are listed as the award standards, and experts, journalists, consultants, legal and financial professionals are invited to vote.

Seven organizations, including the Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women, which provides rural women with education, training and guidance, and Liangshan Yi Nationality Women and Children Development Center, were selected last year. One Foundation gave them 1 million yuan each to support their development.

He attributes his global vision to the experience of traveling abroad when he was very young as a national champion of wushu, an acrobatic form of kung fu.

Born in 1963 in Beijing, Li is the youngest of three boys and two girls. His father died when he was two, and the family struggled.

Li was selected for wushu training when he was eight. Natural talent and hard training earned him five consecutive championships at the Chinese Wushu Games from 1974 to 1978. He began traveling the world with the national team in 1974, and the first stop was the United States.

He still remembers the culture shock. "There was only one kind of ice cream in China, but in America, there were more than 60."

He realized the outside world was different from what he had been taught.

"I asked myself why most of our 'friends' (African countries) were poor while our 'enemy' (America) was so rich?"

His fame came with his debut role in Shaolin Temple, the first Chinese movie in which all the actors practised real martial arts.

It took more than 100 million yuan at the box office at a time when a ticket cost just 0.1 yuan. The obscure temple, in the forests of central Henan Province, also gained fame as the cradle of Chinese kung fu.

However, as leading actor and a national Wushu practitioner, Li earned a daily "salary" of just 1 yuan.

A sense of unfairness that his earning didn't reflect his work persuaded him to migrate to America in 1988.

From 1989 to 1999, he cooperated with Hong Kong directors to make series of movies, playing almost all the famous traditional Chinese kung fu masters (in history or legend), becoming a leading Asian action star.

In his Hollywood debut, he sacrificed his hero image to play a villain for the first time in "Lethal Weapon 4" in 1998.

"Hollywood is such a big market. I think every actor may dream to take part in," he says.

Other hits followed: Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2: The Grave, and Danny the Dog.

In 2002, he starred in Chinese director Zhang Yimou's Hero for a reported 10 million U.S. dollars.

But recently, the icon of Chinese culture fell from grace in the eyes of many of his countrymen when he took Singaporean citizenship. Many critics overlooked the fact that he had taken U.S. nationality 20 years earlier.

"Now I am embracing the earth to look at the world," says Li, stressing his roots. "Mandarin is forever the language I speak best and Jiaozi is always my favorite food."

He insists he does what he thinks is right. He knows the "Philanthropy Awards" selection may be a thankless task, and the public may not appreciate the importance of their work, but he will keep at it.

"My life ended when I was 40 years old as I have nothing to pursue in this world. I need no more money nor fame. The rest of my life I live for the whole world."

GeneChing
01-21-2010, 11:02 AM
I wonder if Jet will show up in person for this.

Martial Arts Actor Jet Li is Committee of 100 Honoree for Individual Achievement in San Francisco (http://committee100.typepad.com/committee_of_100_newslett/2010/01/martial-arts-actor-jet-li-is-committee-of-100-honoree-for-individual-achievement-in-san-francisco.html)
January 2010 | By Jane Leung Larson

JetLiSince he and his family almost lost their lives to the waves of the South Asian tsunami in 2004 while vacationing in the Maldives, Jet Li’s life as one of the world’s most famous martial arts actors took an abrupt turn. Not that he’s given up movies—his recent box office hits include Fearless (2006) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008, with Jackie Chan)—it’s that he has thrown his wealth and energies behind creating a worldwide philanthropic movement through his One Foundation (壹基金). His ambition is nothing less than to create one big family of individual donors who pool their gifts of one dollar or yuan or peso a month to “make sure that the most vulnerable members of our global family will receive the help they need.” Li has launched his foundation in his native China, working with the Red Cross Society of China, to help disaster victims and work on big issues like the environmental protection, health, and education.

Li will be honored for his achievements as both an entertainer and a philanthropist at the Committee’s 19th Annual Conference Gala Awards Dinner in San Francisco. Other special honorees will be two Nobel Laureates, Daniel Tsui and Chen Ning (Franklin) Yang, for Chinese American Distinction. Read about the lives and achievements of these two physicists here.

Conference Preview

Committee members and conference sponsors will celebrate the conference opening on April 7 with a reception at the Asian Art Museum. In February, the Museum will open Shanghai, a special exhibition of art from China’s most cosmopolitan city from 1850 to the present, being held in conjunction with the upcoming Shanghai World Expo. A preview of the exhibition is here.

The public is invited to join the Committee for two days of speakers and panels covering both U.S.-China and Asian American issues. Among the speakers and panels already confirmed are:

Keynote Speakers
Dominic Barton, Managing Director, McKinsey
Gene Huang, Chief Economist, FedEx
Lip-Bu Tan, Chairman, Walden International Investing Group

Educating the Next Generation of World Leaders
Gu Binglin, President of Tsinghua University
John Hennessey, President of Stanford University
Henry T. Yang, Chancellor, University of California at Santa Barbara
Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University

Asian American Politics: Are We Where We Should Be?
David Chiu, President, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Lawrence Low, Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Frank H. Wu, Dean and Chancellor-Elect, University of California Hastings School of Law

Crystal Ball for Innovation
Jerry Yang, Co-Founder, Yahoo!

GeneChing
09-21-2010, 01:37 PM
oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation...

China film star Jet Li to meet Gates, Buffett (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1gBUT-Z9nphtUn--SyTzZ4CzVKg)
(AFP) – 8 hours ago

BEIJING — Chinese film star Jet Li said on Tuesday he would meet Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to chat about charity work ahead of a banquet for China's uber-rich hosted by the US philanthropists this month.

Li, a philanthropist himself who was speaking at a press briefing where he was named a Red Cross Goodwill Ambassador, confirmed he had been invited to the dinner on September 29, but initially refused due to his busy schedule.

"Three days ago, I received an email from Gates, hoping I could make time because he and Buffett hoped I could go for a 30-minute chat before the dinner about the future we face as human beings, so I will go," Li said.

Gates and Buffett have convinced 40 wealthy individuals and their families in the United States to hand over more than half of their fortunes to a good cause as part of a project launched in June.

They plan to learn about China's approach to philanthropy at the banquet in Beijing, and have stressed they will not pressure any of the Asian nation's super-rich to give to charity. But the response has reportedly been lukewarm.

Li, who founded his own charity One Foundation in 2006, encouraged people to give money or time for a good cause but said his homeland was a newcomer to the charity business.

"China's real development has only happened in the past 10 years," he said, adding the United States had 100 years of experience in philanthropy.

Li also called on the US film industry to give more to charity.

GeneChing
09-22-2010, 09:31 AM
I'm surprised he can't just move it out of China. He has the international clout to do so.

Jet Li's One Foundation may not last (http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20100916-237388.html)
Thu, Sep 16, 2010
China Daily/Asia News Network
By Zuo Likun

Three years into the One Foundation founded by actor-turned-philanthropist Jet Li, the charity itself is in need of help. Its private status prevents it from direct public fundraising.

The One Foundation, in Li's words, is "a kid without an identity". It has operated as a partnership with the official Red Cross Society of China, but that is about to end this year. Without the contract, the foundation will face legal restrictions collecting money..

Li's announcement on Sunday during an interview with China Central TV that the nascent charity could be suspended sparked an immediate debate on similar situations faced by many of China's private charity groups. Li's distress about the charity's fate was obvious.

But according to Wednesday's Legal Evening News, a supervisor surnamed Ye at One Foundation said the foundation is running as usual and its contracts with Red Cross would continue. She said Li's words shouldn't be misinterpreted as a sign that the foundation is giving up, but rather they should be interpreted as an alarm call on the shared plight of private charity groups in China.

Maybe he's just giving up doing it himself and focusing on representing others.

Jet Li to be first-ever International Red Cross Ambassador (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/eastasia/view/1082701/1/.html)
By Liang Kaixin | Posted: 22 September 2010 1516 hrs

SINGAPORE: China-born actor Jet Li has been appointed to be the first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for the International Red Cross.

His appointment is an extension of a three-year partnership between Li's One Foundation and the Red Cross Society of China.

The One Foundation, which supports international disaster relief efforts, has a private status which prevents it from direct public fundraising.

It has been able to raise money through its collaboration with the Red Cross.

Questions over the future of the partnership had led to speculation that the foundation was in trouble and may have to be shut down.

But Li confirmed this was not true.

"The first thing I did was apologise to Red Cross, our benefactor. It's been three years since One Foundation was created and both Red Cross and I have yet to receive a both-party termination written notice.

"So we have automatically renewed our contract, for another three years," he said.

GeneChing
09-29-2010, 11:52 AM
I wonder what they are serving.

Banquet is 'a test of Chinese rich' (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7153596.html)
08:03, September 29, 2010

Amid the weeks-long buzz created by the visit of US billionaire philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the most pressing question is: Guess who's coming to dinner on Wednesday evening?

Beijing Chateau Laffitte Hotel, a European-style lodging house in the north suburbs of the city, is reported to be hosting the Chinese and American super-rich guests starting at 5 pm.

Details of the "private gathering" between the Chinese rich and two of the richest Americans remained mostly secret. The attendees are still unknown.

The banquet - dubbed by local media as the Hongmen Banquet, a historical anecdote indicating a feast or meeting set up as a trap for the invited - has ignited a fierce debate on the merits and difficulty of philanthropy and charity for the country's newly wealthy.

Only a few of the 50 Chinese billionaires on the invitation list have publicly answered the call, with names including "China's No 1 philanthropist" Chen Guangbiao, CEO of Jiangsu Huangpu Recycling Resources Co Ltd, who is worth an estimated $440 million according to last year's Hurun rich list.

Also among the confirmed names are dairy giant Niu Gensheng, kungfu movie actor Jet Li, car maker Wang Chuanfu, real estate developer Zhang Xin, glass maker Cao Dewang and e-commerce titan Ma Yun.

China is second to the United States in number of billionaires.

But many of the Chinese titans invited to the dinner have been slow to respond to the event due to their fears of being pressured to donate.

Property developer Wang Jianlin has shunned the invitation, saying it is more important to build a stronger company to help more Chinese people than donating money now.

Software magnate Gates and investment baron Buffett insisted in a letter to Xinhua News Agency earlier this month that they will not pressure China's super-rich to give away their money at the banquet.

The two, who have succeeded in calling on 40 wealthy individuals and their families - including CNN founder Ted Turner and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg - to hand over more than half of their fortunes this June, said they hope simply to learn about China's approach to philanthropy on Sept 29.

Whatever the approach, the timing is good for Chinese rich to put their wealth back into society, experts say. China's Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, has been above the 0.4 benchmark since 2000, an alarming level that is far above most industrial countries' levels between 0.24 and 0.36.

"With the gap between the rich and poor becoming wider, charity is an excellent and voluntary way to redistribute wealth," said Zhou Qing'an, a researcher with Tsinghua University.

Giving is not new to the Chinese rich.

In 2009, charity donations reached about 33.27 billion yuan ($ 4.89 billion), with nearly 60 percent of the donations from businesses, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The top 50 philanthropists donated nearly 3.9 billion yuan in total last year, according to the 2009 Hurun Philanthropy List, four times the figure from six years ago.

But the environment is not ready in China for rich people to donate large sums of their fortune, where the progress is mainly led by the government and driven by the public, said Wang Zhenyao, director of the Center for Philanthropy Research at Beijing Normal University.

Donations from rich people are still not popular in China, partly because of their fears that their fortunes will be exposed, and because China's charity systems are still underdeveloped.

"The banquet is not only a test of the Chinese rich, but also a test to our charity environment and system," Wang said.

Chinese rich people cast doubt on the transparency of charity operations. For example, very few of the country's growing number of charity organizations and foundations offer feedback to the donors or publish the money flow, said Wang.

Movie star Jet Li told Reuters on Tuesday that China needs a philanthropy law in order to give reassurances to would-be donors.

Li's One Foundation, a partner with the Red Cross Society of China, has been unable to get government approval to set up as an independent charity.

"Creating a foundation in China is just like driving a car on the freeway, but there are no red or green lights, only yellow. I've been driving through yellow lights for three years, and don't know if the next one will be red or green," he said.

GeneChing
09-30-2010, 09:46 AM
Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that gathering.

Gates, Buffett Say China Charity Meeting a Success (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/world/asia/01china.html?src=mv)
By MICHAEL WINES
Published: September 30, 2010

BEIJING — After a night of wining and dining 50 of China’s richest people in the name of promoting philanthropy, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates told a horde of journalists on Thursday that the biggest difference between eating with Chinese tycoons and Western ones was the food.

Thus ended the two billionaires’ mission to promote charity in China, a journey which provoked weeks of breathless speculation here about whether this nation’s much-resented class of super-rich was too miserly to measure up to Western philanthropic standards.

At a news conference, Messrs. Buffett and Gates said the answer was an emphatic “no.”

“I was amazed last night, really, at how similar the questions and discussions and all that was to the dinners we had in the U.S.,” said Mr. Buffett, who had wisecracked about the food. “The same motivations tend to exist. The mechanism for manifesting those motivations may differ from country to country.”

Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates, two of the best known and most admired Westerners here, announced last month that they planned to invite 50 wealthy Chinese entrepreneurs to dinner in Beijing to encourage philanthropy among this nation’s newly minted rich. The mission became the object of feverish news coverage — and something of a litmus test of Chinese generosity — after it was reported that some tycoons were turning down the invitation because they feared they would be pressed to donate money.

The two men have made headlines worldwide for enlisting Western tycoons in a public promise to give away their fortunes either during their lifetimes or in bequests after their deaths. To date, 40 people have taken the pledge, and at least one Chinese multimillionaire has said he will join them.

On Thursday, the two men pronounced the dinner an unqualified success, saying that two-thirds of those who were invited had shown up, and that more than half of those at the dinner had offered their own ideas on how Chinese philanthropy should work.

The guest list was not made public, but Chinese news media reported that it included Jet Li, the film star; Niu Gensheng, the founder of a Chinese dairy business; and Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, who control the SOHO China real estate empire.

As with four earlier dinners held in the United States, Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates said, no one at the Beijing event was asked to donate money or make any promise to engage in charity. While they have made follow-up telephone calls to some previous dinner guests, Mr. Buffett said, “Bill and I will not be calling anybody. What happens in China will depend on what the Chinese people feel about a project of this sort.”

China is widely reported to be second only to the United States in the number of dollar billionaires. Mr. Gates and Mr. Buffett said the nation is unique in that its wealthy class has arisen almost wholly in the last 30 years, so philanthropic practices that are entrenched among European and American dynasties are new here, and open to change.

“What you have is a first generation of fortune,” Mr. Gates said, “and it’s natural they they’re thinking through, in this society in particular, ‘What do you do?’ ”

The two said the dinner with China’s superrich was not a long-planned matter, but an offshoot of a trip that Mr. Buffett had already scheduled to Guangdong and Hunan provinces, where BYD Company, a fast-growing maker of clean-energy automobiles, has factories. Mr. Buffett’s investment conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, holds a 10-percent stake in the company.

“Bill and I did not sit down, take a map of the world, and say, ‘We’re going to go to that one and that one and that one,’ ” Mr. Buffett said.

But Mr. Gates suggested that their philanthropic globetrotting was not yet over. “We may do an event in India,” he said.

GeneChing
11-08-2010, 04:12 PM
This is becoming an interesting study of charity in PRC

Jet Li makes bid to save One Foundation (http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2010-11/590063.html)
* Source: Global Times
* [08:20 November 08 2010]
By Huang Shaojie

Charity organization One Foundation (OF) will continue its push for public foundation status, said program founder Jet Li on Saturday. His comment follows the recent move to phase out Li's association with the foundation he helped establish in 2008.

The Chinese-Singaporean movie star made the statement at an OF awards ceremony Saturday, when the program endowed 13 grass roots charity organizations across the country, six of which received 1 million yuan ($150,263) each.

Their bid for their legal right to independently carry out public fundraising is being submitted to government agencies, Li told reporters at the ceremony.

"We are working on it," Li said, refusing to go into detail about the application process that, if successful, will change the organization's official status from a charity initiative under the administration of Red Cross Society of China (Red Cross) to a public foundation, allowing them more flexibility to operate.

Due to lacking an independent bank account and other unspecified legal issues, OF was prevented from carrying out its initiative, "One Yuan, Each Person, Every Month," which gave China's 700 million mobile phone users a chance to pledge at least one yuan a month through text messages.

Li's program will continue even though there is no guaranteeing when, if ever, its foundation status will be granted, he told reporters on Saturday.

GeneChing
11-09-2010, 06:51 PM
1 yuan at a time can't compete with millionaires (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7192757.html)
09:17, November 09, 2010

China needs more prominent charitable entrepreneurs and former government officials to promote philanthropic causes, film star Li Lianjie, better known as Jet Li, and former civil affairs official Wang Zhenyao jointly stressed in a news conference held in Beijing Normal University on Saturday.

Li is the founder of the One Foundation ( a NGO aiming to help poor and disabled people) and now the director-general of Beijing Normal University's Philanthropic Research Institute, while Wang was once head of the Department of Social Welfare and Charity Promotion at the Ministry of Civil Affairs and is now the head of the institute.

"It's not difficult to raise money, but it's difficult to spend every penny effectively, since we must be responsible for our donators," Li said.

Li highlighted that China should learn from experienced foreign NGOs, studying useful models and applying them to China. "This can help us find shortcuts. It needs time and adjustment. We can't take three years to go through a process that took a century in the West. But we could manage it in 30 years," Li said.

Many aspects of charity work need to be improved, including building up professional staff and establishing philanthropic networks, said Wang.

Wang suggested philanthropic courses should attract more former government officials such as himself. "Former government officials are invisible treasures, who will bring more public appeal and funds to these courses," Wang said.

Li used his experiences to prove Wang's point. He said he participated in a party organized by former US President Bill Clinton's eponymous foundation last year.

"When rich men had a chance to shook hands with Clinton, they would donate at least $1 million," Li said.

"The One Foundation encourages people to denote one yuan ($0.15). How could it compete with Clinton's foundation? I've built up a network of donators, including former British PM Tony Blair, whom I refer to as brothers. We can be like members of one family." ...but every little bit helps. After all, it's not a competition, is it?

GeneChing
01-12-2011, 11:15 AM
Looks like a good resolution to the issue.

Jet Li's One Foundation turns into independent public fund-raising organization (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-01/12/c_13687548.htm)
English.news.cn 2011-01-12 16:41:36
by Xinhua writers Wu Chen and Wu Caixia

SHENZHEN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The One Foundation, begun by Kung Fu star Jet Li, has ended its cooperation with the Red Cross Society of China and announced the establishment of an independent public fund-raising foundation here on Tuesday.

This is the first case that a non-governmental foundation affiliated with a government-run organization has successfully been transformed into a public fund-raising organization.

Experts say this is a great step forward in China's social organizations management system reform and shows the support of the Chinese government in the development of NGOs.

The Jet Li One Foundation had been operating as a special program under the Red Cross Society of China, since China does not have laws or regulations which allow the establishment of non-governmental public fund-raising foundations.

Wang Rupeng, spokesman for the Red Cross Society of China, says the One Foundation, under his organization, raised more than 190 million yuan (nearly 29 million U.S. dollars) in the past three years and distributed some 140 million yuan to different philanthropic projects.

Actually, many individuals or NGOs choose to cooperate with foundations or organizations run, or partly run, by the government, in order to receive permission to raise money from the public. For example, more than 40 "foundations" are currently under the organizational umbrella of the Chinese Red Cross Foundation.

However, Jet Li complained that the One Foundation had little say in deciding on the use of money it had raised. According to his plan, his foundation sought to focus more on supporting domestic grass-roots NGOs, which lack both money and professionals, while the Red Cross Society of China is an organization paying more attention to disaster relief.

Li has been trying hard to apply to establish an independent public-raising foundation.

And this is a common problem faced by Chinese NGOs when establishing public fund-raising foundations. Further, a lack of transparency by NGOs is another concern of the government.

In recent years, especially after the devastating Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, Chinese NGOs have been developing rapidly, in terms of both quantity and quality, according to Wang Zhenyao, director of the Beijing Normal University One Foundation Philanthropy Research Institute.

The government has seen this development and has started to encourage the expansion of NGOs, says Wang Zhenyao, who is also a retired official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

China started a trial project in Shenzhen, China's first special economic zone, to advance the reform of the civil affairs system in July 2009, which allowed the city's authorities to approve the creation of public fund-raising foundations. In the past, only the Ministry of Civil Affairs had this authority.

Liu Runhua, director of the Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau, says they invited the One Foundation to register in Shenzhen while knowing the obstacles it has been confronted by.

Finally, the Shenzhen One Foundation successfully registered on Dec. 3, 2010.

Besides Jet Li, most of the 11 members on the council of the Shenzhen One Foundation are top Chinese entrepreneurs, including Tencent CEO Ma Huateng and Alibaba Group CEO Ma Yun. Economist Zhou Qiren was selected as director of the council and Vanke Chairman Wang Shi is acting as the executive director.

Wang Rupeng says, at the request by One Foundation, the Red Cross Society of China will audit One Foundation's financial records and the rest of the fund and ongoing projects will be transferred to the Shenzhen One Foundation.

Wang Shi noted that the newly established foundation will continue its original projects, including philanthropic funding to grass-roots NGOs, training professionals and assisting with disaster relief.

It will also develop new projects according to the demands of the public.

"A development strategy in the upcoming three years will be discussed at the next council meeting, which will be held no later than early March," said Wang Shi during an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Wang Zhenyao says the establishment of the Shenzhen One Foundation is a milestone for the development of China's NGOs.

"It is a breakthrough in the system and can be copied by other organizations," Wang Zhenyao says.

Ma Hong, director of the Shenzhen NGO administration bureau, says the door to registering public fund-raising foundations is now open to all NGOs.

However, it does not mean many of them will be approved in the short term, she says.

"We have to evaluate them properly and make approvals when they meet the standards," Ma says, adding that credibility and transparency are critical for the development of NGOs.

Wang Shi says the successful experience of the establishment of the Shenzhen One Foundation includes transparency, professionalism and following rules and regulations.

"Other NGOs may learn from it," he says.

GeneChing
09-13-2011, 09:41 AM
Never mind Expendables 2 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58108), Jet's been on the move since his recent U.S. trip. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=988)

Jet Li calls for transparency among charities (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-09/11/content_13667334.htm)
Updated: 2011-09-11 18:08
(Xinhua)

HANGZHOU - Charities should build up their own professional teams and promote transparency in management, said Jet Li, famous Chinese kung fu star and founder of the One Foundation, on Saturday.

Li noted that there is insufficient legislation over the philanthropic sector in China.

"The lack of professionals and transparency has hampered the development of charities in China," he said during the 8th Netrepreneurs Conference in East China's Zhejiang Province.

"I almost died in the 2004 tsunami. I don't know when I will be close to death again, so I set up the foundation," Li said.

The One Foundation was founded in 2006 in Chinese mainland. It initially operated as a special program under the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), but the cooperation ended in January.

Since the cooperation with the RCSC ended, the One Foundation has become the first non-governmental foundation affiliated with a government-run organization to successfully transition into a public fund-raising organization.

The RCSC recently came under fire after a woman named Guo Meimei, who claims to be affiliated with the society, posted photos of her lavish lifestyle to her microblog.

People in online communities speculated that her extravagant purchases may have been funded by money embezzled from the RCSC, showing public demand for information disclosure by charities.

GeneChing
01-24-2012, 10:55 AM
Follow the link for a vid

Jet Li’s One Foundation Helps Elderly Beat Cataracts (http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2012-01-18/jet-li-s-one-foundation-helps-elderly-beat-cataracts.html)
Created: Jan 18 2012

Martial arts movie star Jet Li celebrates charity work carried out under Project Vision at an event in Hong Kong.

Li is a survivor of the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami. After the tragedy Li set up the One Foundation, specializing in philanthropy and disaster relief. The name comes from the fact that it encourages supporters to donate one dollar per month. Project Vision is run by Li’s organization to help elderly people in mainland China and Hong Kong to get surgery for cataracts.

[Jet Li, Martial Arts Actor, One Foundation Chairman]:
"After Project Vision started I was very excited, having this feeling of knowing who the money we donate goes to, knowing that this money can help a cataracts sufferer and can help them see clearly again. I feel very moved that in Hong Kong, in just several decades, I could have mastered the art of making movies and also mastered the art of charitable giving. This is a mighty city, it is the pride of the world."

Li’s organization funds the operations for people older than 65 who have low incomes. He says one operation can make a difference to the patient’s entire family.

[Jet Li, Martial Arts Actor, One Foundation Chairman]:
"When the children and family members of 200 cataracts sufferers are added together it amounts to around two thousand people, so I hope that all of the friends who hear this, from all over the world, Chinese people all over the world will support this activity."

Patients who had received free operations were at the event to thank Li and support the work of his foundation.

PalmStriker
01-28-2012, 06:03 PM
Jett Rules! :D

GeneChing
05-24-2012, 09:46 AM
Contra Costa County...that's our 'hood.

Women gets 6 1/2 years for theft from One Foundation (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/23/BUB91OMDGV.DTL)
Bob Egelko
Thursday, May 24, 2012

A Contra Costa County woman with a long criminal record and a history of disruptions while in custody has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for stealing $94,325 from a charity.

Sharee Hall, 34, of Rodeo was convicted by a jury in October of defrauding One Foundation, a charity founded by actor Jet Li. She has been in jail since her arrest in March 2011. Her sentence, imposed Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg, includes an order of reimbursement to the charity.

Prosecutors said Hall transferred the money from One Foundation's bank account to her account at an Oakland bank in January 2009. Hall denied stealing the money and blamed a girlfriend, who she said had access to her account.

Prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence for Hall and argued that she was responsible for more than $678,000 in losses to the foundation. Her lawyers asked for a sentence of less than 6 years and noted that the jury had acquitted her of additional charges.

Hall had 13 previous felony convictions for crimes that included burglary, forgery and fraud. At one point during pretrial proceedings, prosecutors said, she refused to leave the courtroom, claimed she was bleeding and pulled down her pants before marshals carried her off. At another point, prosecutors said, Hall said she would kill herself unless her trial started in three days, a threat she did not carry out.

Those incidents, and past disruptions in prison, were evidence of Hall's "unstable mental condition," her lawyer, George Boisseau, said in a court filing. In another filing last week, he said Hall was unable to rationally discuss her upcoming sentencing and was "obsessed with issues which have little bearing on sentencing."

Psychologists examined her twice before the trial and found she was mentally competent.

GeneChing
04-29-2014, 09:06 AM
I really hope this isn't so.



Jet Li denies embezzlement allegations (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/entertainment/jet-li-denies/1081924.html)
POSTED: 24 Apr 2014 19:05

Martial arts action star Jet Li hit on Wednesday denied allegations that he had embezzled 300 million yuan (S$60.4 million) from his One Foundation charity.

BEIJING: Action star Jet Li on Wednesday denied allegationsthat he had embezzled the 300 million yuan (S$60.4 million) earmarked for projects to help the victims of last year’s Lushan earthquake in China, from his One Foundation charity, reported Chinese media.

In an open letter posted on his micro blog, which set out to illustrate how it is impossible for him to do so, Li said he “really wants to take the One Foundation’s 300 million yuan” but didn’t know how to do it.

He noted that he doesn’t have the power to authorise the transfer of the organisation’s funds.

Li went on to add that it was impossible for him to transfer the foundation’s money to his personal account “without the media finding out, the bank knowing and without being caught and thrown in jail by the authorities”.

“Can anyone teach me how to do this?” said Li.

The 50-year-old actor said that if the One Foundation is corrupt, then all its board members, who are already quite wealthy, are corrupt as well, and it would be tough to divide the embezzled money.

“They (the One Foundation board members) all have companies that are worth billions… the misappropriated 300 million yuan would not be enough to go around.

“Can you all help me think of a way to split this little bit of money?” said Li.

The One Foundation explained in a blog post on Wednesday that disbursing the funds it collected will take some time as the bulk of it is meant for the reconstruction of five schools in the affected region, and this will only take place in July.

- CNA/ha

GeneChing
12-18-2014, 09:51 AM
Kung-fu Star Jet Li Holds Charity Event for "One Foundation" (http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/12/17/2743s856997.htm)
2014-12-17 18:05:53 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Guo

http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2014/12/17/9b84d25b06bf488480414414822d600a.jpg
Kung-fu star Jet Li receives an interview at the charity event for his beloved 'One Foundation' on December 16, 2014. [Photo: sohu.com]

Kung-fu star Jet Li held a star-studded charity night in Hong Kong this week for his beloved 'One Foundation'.

Celebrity's including Andy Lau, talk show host Chen Luyu, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To attended the event to raise money for the cause.

The "Expendables" star said that the event was a celebration of One Foundation's decade long hard work.

"Because it's been ten years, so we use this opportunity to commemorate this occasion. We also wanted to show our gratitude towards all those who participated and supported us from the beginning. Because without them, there wouldn't be a One Foundation in China."

Li started the One Foundation in 2005, after narrowly escaping death during a family vacation in 2004 when a tsunami struck the Maldives. 

Since then, the foundation has provided relief funds to victims of other natural disasters such as the 2008 Sichuan, China earthquake, and the 2009 Taiwan flood.
China calls Jet the "Expendables" star? srsly?

GeneChing
11-07-2017, 08:54 AM
http://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/6/30.jpg
BroadTones
Kung Fu Superstar Jet Li: How I’ll Bring Tai Chi to the Olympics (http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001134/kung-fu-superstar-jet-li-how-ill-bring-tai-chi-to-the-olympics)
The iconic actor hopes to light up future Games with an innovative take on traditional martial arts.
Nov 06, 2017
Lu Hongyong
Lu Hongyong is an editor at Sixth Tone.

This Saturday will see the premiere of a new martial arts movie, “Gong Shou Dao.” With a run time of just 20 minutes, it certainly wasn’t made for its box office potential. The short film, which stars Jack Ma — the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce platform — brings together 11 of China’s best-known martial artists and will premiere during the eighth annual Singles’ Day shopping event, when hundreds of millions of the world’s consumers will scour Taobao, Alibaba’s shopping platform, for deals.

The man behind the film is Jet Li, a celebrated actor whose movies include “Shaolin Temple,” “Fist of Legend,” and “Hero.” Li and Ma are co-founders of Taiji Zen, a lifestyle company that promotes wellness through a combination of tai chi and meditation. Central to the company’s ethos is gongshoudao (GSD), a new form of tai chi that Li and Ma hope will elevate Chinese martial arts to Olympic status.

Sixth Tone sat down with Li to talk about the power of tai chi, his friendship with Ma, and his future hopes for GSD. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Sixth Tone: What is special about GSD compared to other forms of martial arts, and how does it relate to the Olympics?

Jet Li: I was just 8 years old when I began studying martial arts. I’m 47 now, and over the past four decades or so, I’ve been fortunate enough to make something of a name for myself, acting in Hollywood movies and traveling the world giving talks on this distinctly Chinese form of combat. Countless Chinese dream of the day that martial arts are officially recognized as an Olympic event, but so far, we have been unsuccessful.

A key reason for our failure to date is the fact that there is no consensus on the standards or categories of the various forms of wushu — martial arts. There are simply too many styles and variations to merit inclusion in the Olympics just yet. Use your fists, and people call it boxing; use your legs, and they call it taekwondo; throw your opponent to the floor, and people call it judo. How, in the end, should we codify something as broad as Chinese martial arts? Jack [Ma] and I hope that GSD will at least define it for the purposes of international sport.

Sixth Tone: You have mastered several different martial arts styles. Why did you choose to base GSD on tai chi?

Jet Li: About seven or eight years ago, I read a Harvard University study that looked at 800 published medical papers devoted to the relative merits of tai chi, some of which concluded that it could provide relief for sufferers of heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and depression. This level of discussion is almost nonexistent in China, where we tend to take it for granted that tai chi is good for us. Yet even if it is good, that doesn’t mean it’s a magical cure-all or that it obviates the need for medicine. We must keep putting our faith in science.

I used to believe there were only four things that mattered in life: fame, money, power, and love. Now, I know that I must gain a clear perspective on what life is really about.
- Jet Li, actor
Around the same time, Jack and I met to talk about his dream of shooting a film to help popularize tai chi. Having practiced tai chi for 30 years, he sees it as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture. Two years later, we founded Taiji Zen together. Our shared goal is to get Chinese martial arts — specifically GSD — enshrined as an Olympic event. To this end, we have drawn up detailed rules for GSD, with an eye toward making it more combative and watchable. Domestically, the first GSD tournament will be held in Beijing on Nov. 15.

Sixth Tone: In the past, China has failed to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include traditional martial arts at the Games. How do the prospects look now?

Jet Li: In January, Alibaba put its name to a 12-year partnership with the IOC. Covering the next three Olympic cycles, the contract establishes Jack’s company as one of the IOC’s premier global partners and doubtless gives GSD a leg up in the fight for Olympic status. In fact, Jack personally explained GSD to the IOC’s current president, Thomas Bach, in August.

I don’t doubt that the Olympic spirit is a good thing. Yet even as the quest to be higher, faster, and stronger has allowed us to redefine humanity’s limits, it has also damaged athletes’ bodies. In our attempts to push ourselves, we’ve lost sight of an important part of the sporting mindset: balance. The world today is changing at an extraordinary pace, so it’s only natural to feel off-balance. But to paraphrase one of Jack’s most quoted comments, it pays to slow down if we want to live happy lives.

In 1997, around the time I was filming “Once Upon a Time in China and America,” I found myself overcome with doubt for the first time in my life. Ever since I was a little boy, I had always believed that if I simply worked hard, respected the law, and did my best, there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish.

However, at that point, I realized that in spite of all my wealth, I was still eating the same things I had always eaten and drinking more or less what I had always liked to drink. The only difference was that when I was younger, I’d relieve myself in Beijing’s public restrooms, where other guys stood in lines ****ing all over the urinal trough. Now, though, I lived in a big home with something like eight bathrooms. That was the grand sum of all my achievements: a different bathroom for each day of the week.

Fundamental to tai chi is a spirit of peaceful coexistence — the belief that in you, there is a piece of me, and in me a piece of you.
- Jet Li, actor
I used to believe there were only four things that mattered in life: fame, money, power, and love. Now, I realize that’s not the case, and I know that I must gain a clear perspective on what life is really about. Not long ago, I found myself chatting with Yang Xingnong, Taiji Zen’s CEO and the dean of our academy. Over the course of two hours, we talked about everything from movies and martial arts training to charity and altruism, yet we kept circling back to the same questions: What is life? What is pain? What is love? What, at the end of the day, is the point of living?

continued next post

GeneChing
11-07-2017, 08:54 AM
Sixth Tone: How does your adaptation of tai chi capture those moral revelations?

Jet Li: GSD combines physical training with the sort of meditative self-reflection you might expect from Zen Buddhism. Over the past few years, I’ve spent six hours a day meditating, searching for the answers to these questions. I’ve tried going without life’s mundanities — I once went over a week without showering — and attempted a couple things more grandiose, such as when I spent several years staring into caves high in the Nepalese Himalayas. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, because today, my thoughts and purpose are fully aligned.

When people hear the name Jet Li, they tend to think of the martial artist, the kid who started studying when he was 8 before becoming a national champion and entering the film industry. My first movie, “Shaolin Temple,” came out in 1982 and broke Chinese mainland box office records for a Mandarin-language film. Though I went on to enjoy a successful career in Hong Kong and Hollywood, that Jet Li has now stepped out of the public eye.

These days, I spend my time thinking about how I can help people live better, including through charitable work. Ten years ago, I launched the One Foundation, a charity focused on helping communities recover from disasters, protecting and educating children, peer support, and innovation.

Sixth Tone: Your 1982 film debut, “Shaolin Temple,” made Chinese viewers fall back in love with martial arts. Are you expecting to leave a similar impression with GSD?

Jet Li: I like to say that while “Shaolin Temple” revived interest in martial arts, it failed to capture their essence. The action-packed movie inspired a generation of kids who dreamed of one day being martial artists, but ended up as security guards. My current hope is that Taiji Zen will cultivate a generation of Zen practitioners, thinkers, and warriors — a generation in which everyone has their own thoughts and outlook on life, and everyone is receptive to feedback and willing to support one another. No more children will grow up dreaming of becoming mere fighters; they will also know the value of Zen as a guiding path to self-realization.

China’s national character is scarred by memories of fighting foreign aggression. But the tide has turned. Today, there’s no need to go around talking about how strong the Chinese people are. Fundamental to tai chi is a spirit of peaceful coexistence — the belief that in you, there is a piece of me, and in me a piece of you. All of us share this spirit, regardless of ethnicity. At present, there are about 150 million tai chi practitioners around the world, and the global influence of Chinese martial arts is something I am immensely proud of.

I hope tai chi, in the form of GSD, has a good chance of becoming an Olympic sport. Two of the characters in its Chinese name, gong and shou, stand for “kung fu” and “defense,” respectively. China has been an agricultural civilization for centuries, and although the country is now industrializing rapidly, different forms of kung fu, including tai chi, play a vital — I would even say foundational — role in Chinese culture as a means of protecting our homes, land, and territorial integrity. In the future, I hope to see GSD become a symbol similarly deserving of our pride in China’s martial heritage.

Translator: Kilian O’Donnell; editors: Lu Hongyong and Matthew Walsh.

(Header image: A still frame of Jet Li’s character in the 2006 film ‘Fearless.’ VCG)


The Art of Attack and Defence (Gong Shou Dao) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70541-The-Art-of-Attack-and-Defence-(Gong-Shou-Dao)) = The Olympics & Wushu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?1480-The-Olympics-amp-Wushu) + TaijiZen (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65314-Jet-Li-s-TaijiZen-International-Cultural-Development-Company) & ONE Foundation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36920-Jet-Li%92s-ONE-Foundation).

GeneChing
03-26-2019, 02:09 PM
A New Generation of Philanthropy in China (https://www.barrons.com/articles/a-new-generation-of-philanthropy-in-china-51553616001?mod=hp_LATEST)
March 26, 2019 12:00 p.m. ET

https://images.barrons.com/im-58680?width=1260&aspect_ratio=1.5
From left: Lawrence Chan, Niu Gensheng, Dee Dee Chan, Jet Li, Jack Ma, Li Ka-shing. ILLUSTRATION BY GLUEKIT; SOURCE IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES AND BLOOMBERG

In Hong Kong, home to some of the richest people in the world, philanthropist Dee Dee Chan is making sure her generation learns how to give back.

In 2014, Chan, who is in her 30s, started a group for her peers—young people from families with at least US$500 million in assets who play an active role in their families’ businesses—to learn about philanthropy and to put it into practice. The hope is to “raise the ‘future generals’ who will make a huge impact on society through their own charitable efforts,” she says.

Chan is the granddaughter of billionaire Chan Chak Fu, who ran a global hotel and real estate business. Today, she’s managing director at Park Lane Capital Holdings, formed in 2007 from the fortune made by her father, Lawrence Chan, who developed and operated hotels and real estate projects.

She’s also director of the Seal of Love Charitable Foundation, a foundation started by her father in 2010, which donated 80 million Hong Kong dollars (US$10.2 million) in 2017 to the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to support an industry that has become a growing employment sector for the underprivileged in Southeast Asia.

The six or seven core members in each of the two chapters of Chan’s Next Generational Organization (NGO, for short) contribute to a collective pot that they allocate as a group, traveling twice a year for field visits to grassroots nonprofits in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. “The point is really to make mistakes early together and also have a forum in which we can actually do this together,” Chan says.

Lawrence Chan, 65, says his daughter’s NGO chapters will redefine philanthropy, as his generation—including Hong Kong’s wealthiest man and philanthropist, Li Ka-shing—is “starting to fade away.”


“ The point is to have a forum in which we can actually do this together. ”

—Dee Dee Chan
Great fortunes have been made in Asia in the past decade. But as the region’s riches have swelled, and as a younger generation emerges, China’s wealthy are increasingly seeking to maintain their family legacies and to give back. Groups have formed to encourage collaboration and education, including the China Global Philanthropy Institute, founded by three Chinese philanthropists—Niu Gensheng, He Qiaonyu, and Ye Qingjun—along with U.S. billionaires Bill Gates and Ray Dalio. Jack Ma, through the Alibaba Foundation, meanwhile, has sponsored the biannual Xin Philanthropy Conference since 2016.

Ma represents a newer, more visible wave of philanthropists who are trained abroad, globally engaged, and in touch with the concepts of philanthropy, says Anthony Saich, director of the Ash Center at Harvard, which runs the China Philanthropy Project. But there are a rising number of individual philanthropists within China who are having a profound influence, notably Niu Gensheng, a billionaire born to extreme poverty who made a fortune as the founder of China Mengniu Dairyin Inner Mongolia. Niu, 61, began the Lao Niu Foundation in 2004 to support the environment, cultural education, and development of the philanthropic sector.

One strategy that the Lao Niu Foundation is using to boost philanthropy is to train nonprofit professionals, “so that they’re regarded as professionals, just as public officials and private-sector individuals are,” says Melissa Berman, president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which is aiding the foundation.

The One Foundation, founded by Chinese actor Jet Li, is also helping to strengthen nonprofits by being transparent about what they fund, and which outcomes they achieve, Berman says.

While Niu and others have turned to the West for inspiration and practical advice, Rob Rosen, a director at the Gates Foundation, expects philanthropy in China to remain uniquely Chinese.

China’s philanthropists will want to know whether their funds are “being directed toward important issues in a deeply thoughtful way, and if they are taking an appropriate level of risk to really lead to bold change,” Rosen says. “They’re definitely on the pathway there.”


THREADS
Jet Li’s ONE Foundation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36920-Jet-Li%92s-ONE-Foundation)
Jack Ma & Alibaba (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69642-Jack-Ma-amp-Alibaba)
Chinese Tycoons, CEOs & Tuhao (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69088-Chinese-Tycoons-CEOs-amp-Tuhao)

GeneChing
02-13-2020, 09:19 AM
Blackstone Teams With Martial Artist Jet Li for Virus Donation (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-12/blackstone-teams-with-martial-artist-jet-li-for-virus-donation)
By Amanda L Gordon
February 12, 2020, 10:21 AM PST

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iZVTc4JZ4pQo/v0/1200x-1.jpg
Jet Li Photographer: Frederic Nebinger/Getty Images

Blackstone Group Inc.’s charitable foundation is giving $1 million to expand distribution of supplies and aid to more than 30 communities in China.

The money will go to the One Foundation, founded by martial arts star Jet Li in 2007. It will be used for such items as kits to diagnose coronavirus and ECG monitors for pregnant women.

Key Speakers At The Business Roundtable CEO Innovation Summit
Stephen SchwarzmanPhotographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
“This has been an extremely, an exceptionally difficult situation for China,” Blackstone Chief Executive Officer Stephen Schwarzman said in a telephone interview. “Some of the people I know have described the impact as being similar to the Chinese as 9-11 was for Americans. As a firm, we wanted to show some support.”

Schwarzman said the virus “has been enormously disruptive for anyone doing business in China” and that communicating with staff in the region is a priority. Blackstone offices in China reopened on Feb. 10. Employees in mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore are encouraged to work from home, in line with government recommendations.

“The most important thing is to let people know that you’re thinking about them,” Schwarzman said. “The second thing is to explain what the virus is. At the beginning, large groups didn’t have access to that information. It’s easier for us to talk to the heads of pharmaceutical companies, who have much more familiarity.”

One Foundation has worked with local agencies to distribute millions of masks and gloves in 16 cities in Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus. The group has a network of more than 2,000 volunteers and staff conducting disinfection and prevention training across the country, Blackstone said Wednesday in a statement.

Separately, a program Schwarzman created modeled after the Rhodes Scholarships and based at Tsinghua University in Beijing has adjusted to the outbreak. Some students have traveled home or to other locations, while safety protocols have been put in place for those wishing to stay, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Spring term will include online classes, the person said.

THREADS
Coronavirus (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666)
Jet Li’s ONE Foundation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36920-Jet-Li%92s-ONE-Foundation)