Celebrity TV presenter recognized for charity work

At Sun Village in Shunyi district in Beijing, Chen Weihong visits children whose parents are in prison. Provided to China Daily

Jin Zhiwen sings charity song 'Xiao He Zhong Guo'

Chen Weihong, the 45-year-old celebrity TV presenter in China, has lots of honors and awards to his name, but recently he received a very special one.

He was presented the Role Model Award of China Charity Awards, at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Civil Affairs annually. It is the highest-ranked national charity award event in China.

The award committee said they chose Chen because of his devotion to charity programs, his continuous efforts in helping children in rural areas, and his creativity in developing new methods to help those in need.

"I am honored to receive the award. It shows recognition from the charity circle for my efforts, a form of encouragement for me," Chen says.

Chen was born in 1968 in Xiamen, a tourism destination in Fujian province, and became well-known through CCTV, China's biggest television network. He hosts a financial, political and social hot spot talk show.

In early 2011, Chen established Hong Foundation, a public charity body affiliated with China Social Welfare Foundation, raising funds mostly through his personal network.

As a celebrity TV presenter, Chen has many opportunities to host or report on charity events and programs. He says he is often stunned by how vulnerable people can be, and wants to help and make a little difference to their lives.

Left-behind children in rural areas, whose parents have migrated to cities for work, tug on Chen's heartstrings the most.

Unlike other charity organizations that simply fundraise and donate money to vulnerable groups, Hong Foundation spends lots of resources in creating better growth environment for left-behind children, such as helping severely-ill children get better treatment and organizing volunteers to teach children in remote villages.