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    Setting a New Trend: Charity Auction at the Chinese Embassy

    Written by: Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid
    Posted on: March 13, 2014 | | 中文

    Charity Auction at the Chinese Embassy

    It was International Women’s Day, and Mrs. Bao Jiqing, the wife of H.E. Mr. Sun Weidong, the Ambassador of China, had chosen to organize a charity auction for the underprivileged Pakistani children. Slim, athletic, fluent in English, with a cosmopolitan outlook, Mrs. Bao typifies the new outward looking dynamic China. A woman with a difference, she had not gone the traditional way of long cliché ridden speeches extolling the achievements of women, and then the complacent privileged going home. It was a sunny day and the lawns of the Chinese Embassy were filled with women from different women’s organisations, Chinese companies and a sprinkling of wives of diplomats. On display outside were books on China and pictures of Chinese women at work.

    We were called inside for the charity auction, and the large hall was soon packed. The program began with three documentaries about Chinese women, their self-actualization and rise from poverty, to achieve prosperity and fulfillment in their respective fields. Then Mrs. Bao Jiqing got up to address the audience, and her speech was substantive, not relying on worn out clichés about the friendship between the two countries. She spoke with warmth and pride about the transformation in the lives of Chinese women, and quoted from the Forbes magazine that women in China hold 51% senior management positions, as compared to the global average of 24%. She also pointed out that women constitute 46% of the total employed population of China, an important indicator of the role of Chinese women in the rise of modern China.  Chinese leaders had emphasized the central role of women in Chinese society, and she quoted Mao as saying that, “Women hold up half the sky”. It reminded me of what the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan had said, that “No nation is capable of remaining a strong nation, unless and until its men and women do not struggle together for the achievement of its goals”.  As the audience warmed to the theme of women’s uplift, she reminded them, “It is time to do something together”. Then came the poignant words:

    Setting a New Trend: Charity Auction at the Chinese Embassy

    Mrs. Bao Jiqing

    “When our own children are growing up happily and healthily, some children in Islamabad, in the same city as we stay, under the same sky, they either lost their parents in an earthquake or other natural disasters or suffer from disability, such as children from Umeed-e-Noor and SOS children’s village who need help.”     

    The message was not lost on the audience.

    Setting a New Trend: Charity Auction at the Chinese Embassy

    Madam Bao had successfully persuaded people, mostly Pakistani ladies, to contribute stuff for auction, and they came forth generously with things ranging from a cricket bat signed by big names of the cricketing world, to carpets, paintings and some jewelry. Madam Bao herself contributed paintings of eminent Bengali artists that fetched a good price at the auction, as did two paintings made by a Chinese school child. Employees of the Chinese companies in Pakistan took the lead in bidding for goods being auctioned, and a large sum of Rs. 1.7 million was raised, which was donated to the Umeed-e-Noor Foundation for the mentally and physically challenged children. The other beneficiary was the SOS Village for orphans, another effective philantrophic organization to which a Chinese company donated fifteen solar systems as they were suffering from electricity shortages.

    When the auction was over, Ambassador Sun Weidong arrived to distribute certificates to those who had donated items for the auction. Lunch was served outside on the patio and then the guests dispersed. Mrs Bao Jiqing has set a new tradition for the diplomatic corps in Islamabad, reaching out to help the underprivileged and mobilizing the Pakistani elite to become an ally in this crusade.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021