Dr. Chen Hongtian attending the 2018 Annual Meeting and 6th Anniversary Celebration of the Harmony Club

2018.12.21

On December 18, 2018, the 2018 Annual Meeting and 6th Anniversary Celebration of the Harmony Club was held at the Wuzhou Hall of the Wuzhou Guest House in Shenzhen. Dr. Chen Hongtian, a CPPCC National Committee member, a Justice of the Peace appointed by the Hong Kong SAR, chairman of the Harmony Club, and Chairman of the Cheung Kei Group; Dai Beifang, President of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPPCC; Li Chunyang, Deputy Head of the Guangdong Provincial United Front Work Department; Zhang Siping, former Member of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee, former Head of the Guangdong Provincial United Front Work Department, Permanent Honorary President of the Harmony Club; Xu Youjun, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Shenzhen Municipal Committee; Chen Pengyu, Vice President of the Cheung Kei Group; other official leaders from the government; other representatives, members of the Harmony Club, representatives from the banking and finance industry, and mainstream media from Shenzhen and Hong Kong were among the thousand attendees of the prestigious event.

Dr. Chen Hongtian giving a speech at the meeting

Dr. Chen Hongtian gave an opening speech at the event, expressing his gratitude to everyone present for their continued support for the Harmony Club. The club's theme is to "Build a Chinese Dream Together in Harmony" and it aims to "Create an Enduring Institution with a Century of History", by advocating social responsibility as its cause, fully showcasing its role as an actor in the non-public sector of the economy in contributing to the development of the economy and the society. The club's accomplishment is widely recognized by the general public and acknowledged by the various levels of government.

The 151 core fellows of the club are pioneers in their respective business sectors, but they share the same title here as a member of the Harmony Club, as they support each other with a common goal of development. It is noteworthy that the Harmony Club has successfully purchased the Harmony Building in the central business district of Shenzhen as its permanent address, and the building is now officially in use, building a strong foundation for the club's goal to "Create an Enduring Institution with a Century of History". The members of the Harmony Club will continue to strive to put the "Harmony Philosophy" into action, to fulfill its corporate social responsibility, and set a good example for other Shenzhen businesses to follow. The club will continue to support the nation's Belt & Road strategy initiative and the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, to lend its strengths to the brand new era of reform and globalization, and promote the stable development of Shenzhen and Hong Kong region, to in turn make greater contributions to the country's economy and social development.

Dr. Chen Hongtian and several members of the Harmony Club giving a toast

Since the Harmony Charity Foundation was established in 2013, it has advocated for a culture of social responsibility and philanthropy, and has aimed to create a sustainably developed charity platform. Based on statistics, members of the club have donated over 10 billion yuan cumulatively over the years, averaging on donating 500 million yuan annually, forming a force to be reckoned with its contributions and charitable giving. Lee Yin Yee, the Chairman of the Harmony Charity Foundation and Executive Vice Chairman of the Harmony Club, has reasserted that the Harmony Charity Foundation will continue to dedicate its efforts on serving the government and society, fortifying Shenzhen's image as a capital of charity.

The venue of the event

For the past six years, the influence and reach of the Harmony Club have continued to grow, and it has already become a benchmark for social organizations in Shenzhen and nation-wide. Members of the club are active participants in the political arena, and have submitted valuable policy recommendations and proposals during the NPC & CPPCC Annual Sessions each year. The leaders of the government, and municipal government greatly value the work done by the Harmony Club's members and associated corporations. Members of the club often accompany the country's leaders in the capacity of the business delegation, when the leaders embark on overseas visits and when they attend international summits and forums.

In its six years of history, the Harmony Club has uphold the "Harmony Philosophy" by building healthy relationships between political actors and the business sector, contributing to the win-win partnerships between the banking industry and businesses, supporting the exchange and collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and developed various charity platforms to alleviate poverty. It has established the Harmony Charity Foundation, the Harmony Youth Committee, the Harmony Golf Association, and the Harmony Communist Party Branch to actively fulfill the organization's social responsibility and give back to society.

Taking a group photograph to commemorate the occasion

The club has organized over a hundred dialogue sessions between the members of the club and the officials from the Municipal Government, Municipal Local Taxation Bureaus, and State Administration of Taxation offices in Nanshan, Futian, Luohu, Baoan, Longgang, Longhua, Pingshan, Dapeng, and other districts in Shenzhen; from other cities in Guangdong Province, such as Dongguan, Zhanjiang, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan, Heyuan, Shanwei, and Foshan; and from the Provincial and Municipal government from Yunnan, Sichuan, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hainan, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu. Through such dialogue sessions, the club has gained a deeper understanding of the municipal government's urban and industrial planning for the respective cities, and the supporting policy measures and infrastructure planned, and such insights are then utilized in the promotion and strategic launch of the investment and projects by the members of club in the respective regions.

Vice President Chen Pengyu and the team from the Assets & Capital Management Department attending the event

Over 80% of the members of the Harmony Club are permanent residents of Hong Kong. Based on statistics, the members of the club have donated over hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars to social organizations such as the New Home Association, Federation Of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organisations, Federation of Hong Kong Shenzhen Associations, the Hong Kong Federation of Fujian Associations, Hong Kong Volunteers Association, Hong Kong Professionals & Senior Executives Association, and the Hong Kong Taxi Drivers & Operators Association. The members of the Harmony Club from Hong Kong also participate actively in adiverse range of political activities in Hong Kong. The club is vocal in its stance and opposition to the Occupy Central movement, the Occupy Mong Kok movement, and the Hong Kong Independence movement. It endorses and supports the Hong Kong SAR Government in governing by the rule of law, and plays an instrumental role in supporting the Hong Kong SAR Government as it governs the city by the rule of law, thereby ensuring Hong Kong's stability, progress, and prosperity.

During the 2018 Annual Meeting and 6th Anniversary Celebration of the Harmony Club, over a hundred members of the club came together to sing a rousing rendition of the song, "Ode to the Motherland", and used their voices to convey their wishes for the prosperity and wealth of the motherland.