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Tencent Expands its Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts
Tencent Inc. is known for providing outstanding technologies and services. Less known, however, is the fact that the company is also active in social development projects. In recent years, Tencent has extensively cooperated with a range of social organizations and institutions, and has made contributions to many social and community projects.
On February 4, 2007, the Business Channel of China Central Television Station (CCTV) and Tencent Inc. launched an online donation channel for a large-scale charity event: Warm Spring 2007 – I Have a Dream. The objective of the evening, cosponsored by the Business Channel and China Youth Development Foundation, was to raise donations to allow 20 million children of migrant worker parents to attend school and improve their school facilities. In addition to the “online donation box", Tencent President Martin Lau also announced during the evening that Tencent would establish a Hope School in Zaoyang, Hubei Province, hometown of China's astronaut hero Nie Haisheng.
 In September 2006, Tencent invested CNY 20 million to establish a charity foundation, a first for a Chinese Internet enterprise. The launch of the Tencent Charity Foundation signals the Internet sector's willingness to increase its involvement in social development projects and will help to develop new ways of using Internet platforms for the good of the public.
In September 2006, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Tencent and some major media in all provinces jointly launched the Future Project, a college scholarship and aid program designed to increase public awareness of activities that support students in need and increase donations towards this cause. The organizations made a collective appeal for more citizens to express their compassion and give to needy students.
On September 19, 2006, Tencent and the Chinese Young Volunteers Association jointly convened a press conference with the theme of “Activation, Transmission and Development – Protecting Chinese Cultural Treasures." The two parties jointly declared to work together in protecting Chinese traditional culture, and proposing innovative methods and ideas to protect the Chinese cultural treasures.
In August 2006, Tencent teamed up with Hunan Television Station and used its online payment tool Tenpay to receive online donations for a large gala evening entitled “Affection for Southern Hunan." The event raised more than CNY 100,000 for Hunan's Disaster Relief Fundraising Office
Capitalizing on its huge base of Internet users, Tencent organized in June 2006 an event entitled “Share Cong Fei's Love And Make It Live Forever." This event attracted the participation of 8,754,049 person times and raised over CNY 100,000 from Tencent employees and QQ users for the “Cong Fei Loving Support Foundation." In addition, Tencent donated another CNY 100,000 to Cong Fei's family.
In February 2006, Tencent launched the “QQ Fantasy: Green Activities in 100 Chinese Cities". The one-month event, which focuses on environmental protection activities such as tree planting, was carried out in 84 cities across 21 provinces around China.
Since September 2005, Tencent has been working with the China Children and Teenagers Fund and called for Internet users around China to take part in long-term online charity activities listed in the “Love and Donation" section on the company's QQ website. To date, donations through the site have allowed seven needy primary schools to receive loads of books, notebooks and stationery. In December 2005, the China Children and Teenagers Fund awarded Tencent with a “Charitable and Loving Enterprise" certificate and a plaque in the Great Hall of the People.
In August 2005, Tencent sponsored “A Journey Along the Yellow River", enabling 25 reporters and four scholars to travel more than 20,000 kilometers along the Yellow River to investigate the biological environment and state of the river. Meanwhile, the company also organized 35 specialists and experts to participate in the “Yellow River Discussion", a forum focusing on the environmental protection of the Yellow River drainage area and cultural issues relevant to the area. Leveraging its online brand recognition, Tencent's communications surrounding this project generated more than two billion hits.
On August 18, 2005, Tencent mobilized its employees to help relief efforts to the seriously flooded Wuzhou area of Guangxi Autonomous Region. The flooding was the worst on record in 100 years. Tencent employees made donations worth CNY 100,000 and worked with authorities in rebuilding the affected area.
On January 15, 2005, the Shenzhen Red Cross and the Shenzhen Municipal Charity Federation jointly organized a charity performance named “Love in Shenzhen" to raise funds for victims of the Tsunami that hit South East Asia at the start of 2005. Employees of Tencent volunteered donations totaling CNY 103,711. On behalf of the company, Tencent CEO Ma Huateng donated the QQ No. 88888. The lucky number was later sold in an auction for CNY 260,000 – all of these funds going to the Red Cross.
On July 10, 2004, Tencent officially released a large online event "Shiny Summer Vacation" to encourage nice internet habit and healthy lifestyle in this summer vocation. The activity is supposed to last 2 months. During this period, Tencent launched a special community on www.QQ.com, the most popular website among youngsters, to offer guide on life, study, and entertainment for more and more internet-addict young people. In the activity, Tencent also invited Mr. Zhu Meiyun, a famous consultant on youth psychology to host Doctor's Teahouse online, helping young people in their questions and confusions.
During the outbreak of SARS in 2003, Chinese people fought against the disease bravely. We donated lap-top computers, web cameras, Internet access equipment and other software worth over RMB 100,000 to Xiao Tangshan Hospital. We also provided them with special QQ numbers so that frontline medical workers and patients could chat and receive well wishes from QQ users.
March 3, 2003 An article about the story of A-Dan and A-Le was released by a net friend "Wandering Ping" in BBS of Tencent community. It was a story about an 18-year-old girl suffering from leukaemia. This story reverberated in our QQ community, with over 3,000 views recorded on the same day. We immediately decided to give unconditional support to them. On the next day, we made a special report and a call for donation. Our employees voluntarily donated about RMB10,400, bringing the total amount to RMB300,000. A-Dan went for an operation with the money.
December 19, 2002 In order to improve local school facilities in rural areas, we donated computers to Baiwan Patriotism Education Base and Gao Huatang Primary School of Jintang Town, Qingxin county, a poverty-stricken location in Guangdong Province.
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