On March 10, China Philanthropist magazine published an article titled "Qiu Zhonghui: Thirty-Three Years Dedicated to Helping Others with Love," honoring the Amity Foundation chairman as its "2024 Person of the Year."
In early January, Qiu Zhonghui, chairman of the faith-based Amity Foundation, was named as the "2024 Person of the Year" by China Philanthropist magazine, a monthly magazine founded in 2010 focusing on charity, wealth, and social issues. On March 10, the magazine published an article titled "Qiu Zhonghui: Thirty-Three Years Dedicated to Helping Others with Love."
The Amity Foundation was founded in1985 by Bishop K.H. Ting and others and was quite unique in China at the time, with a mission to support vulnerable populations.
The article mentions that Qiu Zhonghui has worked at the Amity Foundation for 33 years, rising from an ordinary employee to the position of chairman and witnessing the foundation's development and transformation. When he initially joined, Amity had just over 10 employees; today, the Nanjing headquarters has grown to 110 staff members. Established in 1985, the Amity Foundation is a 5A-rated public fundraising foundation covering poverty relief, assistance for people with disabilities, elderly care, environmental protection, healthcare, education, and disaster relief. In 2023, the foundation's total revenue reached 474 million yuan.
Since 1996, Amity has been headquartered in a historic villa from the Republic of China era in Nanjing. Qiu's office is on the second floor, filled with souvenirs gifted by beneficiaries and partners. One particularly striking item is a watercolor painting on the wall, depicting a vast ocean with a lighthouse standing tall on the shore. This painting was created by an American diver who paints using her mouth after becoming paralyzed from the neck down due to a training accident. Despite her disability, she learned to paint and founded a charity to support people with disabilities. Qiu hung this painting in his office as a reminder to reflect on the depth and height of life.
Born in 1955 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, Qiu grew up in a family where his mother, though illiterate, managed to send all five of her children to college. His mother's hardworking and compassionate character deeply influenced his growth. After graduating from university, Qiu taught English at a college for 11 years. In the early 1990s, while many of his colleagues left academia to pursue business opportunities, Qiu was inspired by a brochure from the Amity Foundation, which he had encountered while working as a translator. The foundation's values of "compassion, dedication, and progress" and its motto, "Love never fails," drew him to the world of philanthropy.
In June 1992, Qiu left his teaching position and officially joined Amity, embarking on what he calls a "decade of adventurous journeys." His first field trip was in the winter of 1992, when he visited a water project in the suburbs of Luoyang. Witnessing villagers walk more than ten miles daily to fetch water left a deep impression on him. He later traveled across Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, participating in poverty alleviation projects such as drilling wells for clean water and planting ecological forests.
In 1995, on the foundation's 10th anniversary, Qiu wrote, "What is the most challenging task in China today? It is poverty alleviation and development in impoverished areas."
In 2003, Qiu became the foundation's general secretary. "At that time, nearly all of Amity's funding came from overseas, and the foundation did not yet have a dedicated fundraising department," the article said. He began to think about how to strengthen Amity's local roots and eventually decided to establish a public relations and fundraising department, publish an annual report in Chinese, and build connections with the domestic public. By 2005, Amity's annual fundraising exceeded 100 million yuan for the first time, though over 95% of donations still came from abroad.
To optimize its resource structure, Qiu continued to explore new approaches. During a visit to Hong Kong, he learned about the "monthly donation" model, which allows for regular, stable donations through automatic bank deductions. In 2007, he partnered with Tencent Charity to launch a "Support for Orphans in Poverty" project, making it one of the first internet-based fundraising projects in China. After years of effort, domestic donations surpassed overseas contributions for the first time in 2013. By 2023, Amity's total fundraising reached 474 million yuan, with domestic donations accounting for more than 90% for three consecutive years. 70% of the funds came from online fundraising, marking a successful transformation in Amity's resource structure.
The Amity team is known for its steady and low-profile approach, but it has consistently embraced innovation throughout its development. Qiu candidly admits that his life is "dull," as he devotes nearly all his time to work. Due to his frequent business trips, he was unable to be with his parents when they passed away and missed much of his son's childhood. His wife took on most of the family responsibilities. On one occasion, after returning home from a muddy field visit, Qiu encountered his son in an alley. Seeing his father covered in dirt, the boy proudly told his friends, "My dad is doing something important. He's helping poor people." Qiu choked up as he recalled this moment.
In 2018, Qiu stepped down as general secretary and became the foundation's chairman, shifting his focus from management to strategic planning. As an "elderly person," he states his main responsibility now is to ensure Amity's legacy and succession. Amity was founded by Bishop K.H. Ting and Han Wenzao, and as a second-generation leader, Qiu has introduced many innovations while maintaining the foundation's core values. "Love helps people, and virtue nurtures humanity. No matter how the times change, this spirit will never become outdated."
- Translated by Charlie Li
