Zhang Ziyi and China’s Celebrity–Philanthropy Scandals
In January 2010, the internationally acclaimed Chinese actor, Zhang Ziyi, became a focus of public criticism for allegedly defaulting on a pledge to donate one million yuan to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake disaster-relief fund. That earthquake not only killed 70,000 people and left five million homeless, but also produced a dramatic rise in individual and corporate philanthropy in China. Philanthropic donations in 2008 amounted to a total figure of 100 billion yuan, exceeding the documented total for the preceding decade. Zhang’s ‘failed pledge’ led fans and critics to accuse her in interactive media forums of both charity fraud and generating a nationwide crisis of faith in the philanthropic activities of the rich and famous. Dubbed ‘donation-gate’, the ensuing controversy obliged Zhang Ziyi to hire a team of USA-based lawyers, to give an exclusive interview to the China Daily, and to engage in renewed philanthropic endeavours, in an effort to clear her name. Hence, contrary to claims that celebrity philanthropy is an apolitical mode of philanthropy, an examination of the Zhang Ziyi scandal and its disaster-relief precursors demonstrates that celebrity philanthropy in the People’s Republic of China is a political affair.
Social Media as a Communication Strategy: Content Analysis of Top Nonprofit Foundations’ Micro-blogs in China
ABSTRACT As Web 2.0 has become a trend, an increasing number of nonprofit foundations in China have started to utilize social media for strategic communication. Based on a quantitative content analysis, this study examines how social media, more specifically Sina Weibo, was used by the top 300 nonprofit public-fundraising foundations in China to advance their missions. Message strategy and dialogic communication strategy used to build and maintain organization-public relationships were identified. The result shows that top nonprofit foundations in China mainly relied on Sina Weibo to disseminate information, promoting issues and activities as well as calling for help. Two-way communication process and dialogic loops between foundations and audience were revealed. Audio, video, emotional appeals, dialogic, and interactive features have not been fully utilized, although micro-blog posts with certain multimedia and dialogic/interactive features were significantly more likely to be commented, shared, and liked. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Marie Curie's doctoral thesis: Prelude to a Nobel Prize
This paper is a critical account for the most significant body of Marie Sklodowska Curie's scientific work, presented in the hopes that she be remembered for more of the "right" reasons. It also offers some new insights into her methods and results.