The 13th China Charity Award list was announced, with three individuals and one enterprise from the textile sector honored. Among 92 recipients, this proportion is not high, yet it underscores a fact: the textile industry is not only a pillar of the national economy but also a formidable force in philanthropy. Beyond the honor itself, the more pertinent question is: why textile enterprises? What does charitable giving mean for the industry?
Event Background
The Ministry of Civil Affairs released the 13th China Charity Award list on September 1 (the 11th China Charity Day). The awards comprise four categories: Charity Model Award, Charity Project and Charitable Trust Award, Donating Enterprise Award, and Donating Individual Award. Textile honorees include: Xu Lianjie (deceased), former Vice Chairman of Hengan International, received the Charity Model Award; Bosideng Down Clothing Co., Ltd. received the Donating Enterprise Award; Li Guilian, Chairman of Dayang Group, and Yang Xun, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Sunrise Group, received Donating Individual Awards. Notably, most honorees are entrepreneurs with decades of industry experience, and their philanthropic paths closely align with their corporate development trajectories.
It is worth noting that Xu Lianjie received the Donating Individual Award at the 10th China Charity Award in 2018, and now posthumously received the Charity Model Award, making him a rare two-time winner in the textile circle. As of April 2025, his personal cumulative donations exceeded RMB 1.1 billion, while Hengan Group's cumulative donations exceeded RMB 2.1 billion. This dual-track model of 'individual plus enterprise' donations is not uncommon in the textile industry, reflecting the intergenerational continuity of charitable responsibility under family-style corporate governance.
Industrial Impact
The scale and structure of charitable giving often mirror a company's profit cycle and strategic focus. Bosideng's cumulative donations reached RMB 1.55 billion by 2025, covering 30 provinces, 112 prefecture-level cities, and 600 counties across the country, benefiting 1.923 million people. Among these, the 'Warm China' initiative has run for over 20 years, donating down jackets worth over RMB 26.5 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year. This is not simply 'donating inventory of clothing' but rather converting product strength into public welfare—down jackets are Bosideng's core category, and such donations simultaneously reinforce brand recognition in cold regions, creating a virtuous cycle between commerce and charity.
Now look at Dayang Group and Sunrise Group. Li Guilian established a charity fund in 2008, added RMB 10 million in 2019, and personally contributes over RMB 1 million annually, with the group's cumulative charitable investment exceeding RMB 150 million, focusing on education, rural revitalization, and cultural preservation. Yang Xun's Sunrise Group has donated over HK$ 3.5 billion since establishing a charity fund in 2005. The contrast is stark: Sunrise's scale far exceeds Dayang's, but both embed charity into corporate governance—the former runs a 'business plus charity' dual track, while the latter emphasizes that 'giving back is an inherent necessity.' This suggests that regardless of enterprise size, charity has become a 'standard' rather than an 'option' for leading textile companies.
This trend has direct ripple effects along the supply chain. On one hand, large textile enterprises channel donations to impoverished central and western regions, objectively stimulating local demand for textiles and providing an entry point for channel expansion. On the other hand, charitable investments enhance corporate ESG performance, and when exporting to European and American markets, social responsibility certifications often serve as a bonus for buyers. For small and medium factories, the philanthropic behavior of leading companies sets a benchmark, forcing them to consider how to balance profit and social responsibility amid cost pressures.