Where private giving still seems foreign.
The week's news at a glance.
China
Jonathan Watts
The Guardian (U.K.)
China’s communists have discovered the capitalist virtue of philanthropy, said Jonathan Watts in the London Guardian, but the people have been slow to catch on. The Chinese government used to pride itself on providing all social assistance according to the tried-and-true communist model of a centralized economy. Now, though, the government is actually asking the private sector to give more to charity. Natural disasters such as floods and droughts left 15 million Chinese homeless last year—far too many for the government to house. In other countries, ordinary citizens chip in after natural disasters, writing checks to the Red Cross or calling in to telethons to pledge donations. Not in China. As the country modernizes, leaders have noticed with dismay that “the spirit of philanthropy is developing a lot less quickly than the urge to accumulate wealth.” Maybe it’s time for the communists to resurrect “traditional Confucian ethics,” which instruct successful people to help the poor. Until that happens, this massive country will struggle through an economic revolution “with all the pain of Victorian capitalism” but “not much of the charitable benevolence.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Can Gaza aid drops work?
Today's Big Question UN's Palestinian refugee agency calls plan a 'distraction and smokescreen' as pressure mounts on Israel to agree ceasefire and fully open land crossings
-
Posh tinned fish is making waves
The Week Recommends Upmarket tuna and trout in colourful tins have become a 'chic' dinner party staple
-
Food may contribute more to obesity than exercise
Under the radar The devil's in the diet