路透：“巴比宴”在中国引发激烈辩论

路透：“巴比宴”在中国引发激烈辩论

http://www.sina.com.cn 2010年09月30日 14:54 新浪尚品

　　世界两位最富有人士的中国之行已点燃了中国新富阶层做慈善事业的好处和难处的激烈争论。

　　比尔-盖茨和沃伦-巴菲特将于9月29日在北京举行晚宴，邀请他们选定的一部分中国亿万富翁以推动慈善事业。中国媒体将此称为“巴比宴”。

　　目前还不清楚哪些人获得了邀请。据胡润排行榜称财富达4.4亿美元的陈光标大肆宣扬他将参加宴会、并劝说其他人也参加捐赠活动的事情。其他富翁则口风很紧。

　　媒体猜测的焦点在于，中国富人传统上不愿意公共谈论自己的财富，害怕暴露的财富比政府或者竞争对手估算的更多，从而引来税务机关的注意以及穷人的憎恨。

　　中国的私人慈善事业在1949年之后销声匿迹，新政府当时引入了从摇篮至坟墓的福利制度。但中国的贫富差距自改革开放后开始加大。近年来发生的自然灾难激发了爱国热情，重新燃起人们对慈善的兴趣。

　　对于很多富裕的中国人来说，捐赠并不是完全新鲜的事情。2009年胡润慈善排行榜显示，去年中国前50名慈善家共捐赠了近39亿元人民币，这一数字是六年前的四倍。胡润对路透社称：“巴比宴将是中国慈善事业的一个分水岭。我肯定，人们将积极参加巴比宴。”

　　当然，也有一些抱怨称，中国最不需要就是外人的说教，尤其是考虑到中国本身历史悠久的慈善传统。

　　"Barbie" dinner ignites fierce debate for China's rich

　　A visit by two of the world's richest men to China has ignited a fierce debate on the merits -- and difficulty -- of philanthropy and charity for the country's own colorful band of newly wealthy。

　　Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will host a dinner for a select band of Chinese billionaires on Wednesday to promote giving, dubbed by media the "Ba Bi" -- Chinese for "Barbie" -- dinner after the Chinese transliterations of their names。

　　The invitation list is unclear. Chen Guangbiao, worth an estimated $440 million according to last year's Hurun rich list, has made a big deal about his attendance, and his efforts to get people to sign up. Others have been more tight-lipped。

　　Media speculation has centered on the traditional reticence of many rich Chinese to discuss their wealth in public, fearful of exposing fortunes larger than the government or rivals had calculated, inviting unwanted attention from tax collectors and hatred from millions of have-nots。

　　Private philanthropy became obsolete after the 1949 revolution when the Communist Party introduced a cradle-to-grave welfare system. But the country's wealth gap widened after it embraced capitalist reforms in the late 1970s。

　　Natural disasters in recent years have stoked patriotic sentiment and rekindled an interest in charity。

　　For many rich Chinese, giving is not totally new。

　　The top 50 philanthropists donated nearly 3.9 billion yuan ($582.9 million) in total last year, according to the 2009 Hurun Philanthropy List, four times the figure from six years ago。

　　"It's something that should be marked as a watershed in the whole era of philanthropy in China," Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and compiler of the Hurun lists, told Reuters, referring to the dinner. "I'm sure it's going to be very well attended."

　　Still, some people have complained that the last thing China needs is outsiders lecturing them, especially considering the nation's own long-standing historical tradition of charity。

　　"We don't need foreigners coming here to tell us how to be charitable," sniffed one anonymous Chinese philanthropist to the Global Times, a popular tabloid with a strong nationalist bent。

　　Gates and Buffett have gone out of their way to say they do not intend force anyone to give up their wealth, writing in an open letter before the visit that all they want to do is share their experiences and listen to Chinese views。

　　China's enthusiastic blogging community has tackled the visit with gusto. While many praise it, some have slammed Gates and Buffett for putting unfair pressure on Chinese magnates. Others accuse the two of naivety。

　　"The intention is good, but they won't understand China and I fear they'll go home empty-handed," wrote "Giant" on the portal www.sina.com.cn. "A lot of these so-called rich people aren't really rich ... Their money came illicitly."

　　LAW NEEDED

　　However, there is a more practical problem to giving in China: Who to give to?

　　The country has a growing number of non-governmental organizations and charities, though many get themselves in trouble by tackling sensitive issues like AIDs, or become embroiled in corruption scandals and misuse of funds。

　　Movie star Jet Li, who plans to attend the dinner, told Reuters that China needs a philanthropy law in order to give surety to would-be donors. Li's One Foundation, a partner with the Chinese Red Cross, has been unable to get government approval to set up as an independent charity。

　　"Creating a foundation in China is just like driving a car on the freeway, but there are no red or green lights, only yellow. I've been driving through yellow lights for three years, and don't know if the next one will be red, or green," he said。

　　Chinese philanthropists tend to give money directly to projects, avoiding middle men where possible, added Hoogewerf。

　　"The main reason is because there is an inherent mistrust in giving your money to any third party to pass it on. They're convinced that for every 100 that they give, the end party won't receive anything near that 100," he said。

　　"But in the same breath you've got to say that the Chinese non-profit sector is very young. It needs to build its trust and reputation. This is a work in progress; there's still a long way to go."

　　(路透)

　　(解雨)