I've just returned from watching the US election results here in Shanghai and stayed until the networks called the election for Obama. Reflecting back, 2008 has been an incredible and tumultuous year both in China and abroad...from the snowstorms to the earthquake, the much-anticipated Olympics, to the global financial crisis and now new leadership in the US. Many news articles have heralded this year as the end of an era (most specifically the era of global economic growth that began in the 1980s and the rise of the baby boomer generation in the West) and the beginnings of a new one. Here in China, growth is slowing for the first time in 5 years. How will all these changes affect China and its nascent but growing charity sector? How will decreases in philanthropic giving from overseas sources affect China's charities? How might China's growing pool of wealthy donors react to seeing their net worth decrease as the social needs around them increase? Truly, the seeds and rumblings of change have been there all along. The significant growth in local awareness of nonprofit and charitable activities in China during the last 3-5 years has been remarkable, and we believe there is still a tidal wave to come, even despite the current global financial downturn.
It is definitely an interesting time to be starting this blog.
-- Grace
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