---- Clifford Group Donates Another RMB 5 Million Yuan to China Soong Ching Ling Foundation
To encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate students from Taiwan studying in the 11 universities of Chinese traditional medicine in the Mainland, Clifford Group donated RMB 5 million Yuan to China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) on January 16, 2007 to set up the Clifford (Peng) Incentive Fund. Wang Zhongyu, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hu Qili, chairman of the foundation, Liang Jinquan and Zhang Wenkang, vice chairmen of the foundation, and Clifford Peng, general manager of Clifford Group were present at the donation ceremony. Li Ning, secretary-general of the foundation, presided over the ceremony.
The Clifford (Peng) Incentive Fund, as one of the sub-projects of "Future Project—Aids to College Students from Poor Families", adheres to the foundation's philosophy of "cultivating talents for tomorrow". It will encourage and attract students from Taiwan to study Chinese traditional medicine in the Mainland, so as to promote cross-strait cultural and educational exchanges.
Target universities of Clifford (Peng) Incentive Fund are Jinan University, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
This project will last for five years. Target candidates are outstanding undergraduate and graduate students from Taiwan who study Chinese traditional medicine in the above-mentioned universities. The selection of candidates is based on the principle of "fairness, justice and openness". Every year 150 students receive an award of RMB 5,000 Yuan per person. Those students who have made special contributions or excellent academic achievements will receive a special award of RMB 20,000 Yuan per person. During the implementation of the project, the foundation would organize a series of activities, such as lectures on special topics, visits and gatherings of students from Taiwan and the Mainland, to enhance cross-strait college students' communication , promote cultural and educational exchanges, help Taiwan students' have a better understanding of the history and culture of our Motherland, and encourage the prize-winners to make contributions to the development of cross-strait relations and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The purpose of the Clifford (Peng) Incentive Fund is to encourage more Taiwan students to come to the Mainland to study Chinese traditional medicine. This is of a great importance to carrying forward and development of the Chinese traditional medicine, to the promotion of the Chinese culture and tradition, to strengthening of the Chinese nation's feelings and cultural unity, and to the better understanding of the Mainland by Taiwan students.
According to statistics, the number of Taiwan students studied in the Mainland in 2004 alone, reached 1,777 and the total number by the end of 2004 was about 5,000. As Taiwan students have great interest in Chinese traditional culture, of which the Chinese medicine is an important part. Therefore, over one third of Taiwan students studying in the Mainland has taken the Chinese medicine as their major.
Clifford Group, on the one hand, seeks after a faster and an efficient economic growth and development for greater interest while it also attaches great importance to social benefits as returns to society. In addition to the Clifford (Peng) Incentive Fund, the Group has been dedicated to the development of education and medical services in the poverty-stricken mountainous areas and many other related social welfare projects. In 2001, Clifford Group donated RMB 10 million Yuan to CSCLF to set up Soong Ching Ling Children's Innovation Award. Up to now, the Group has donated RMB18 million Yuan to the foundation in total. According to incomplete statistics, Clifford Group has donated over RMB 200 million Yuan to the social welfare undertakings in the past 15 years.
