A ceremony was held by China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) in Shenzhen, a city in South China's Guangdong province, on June 9 to mark the opening of "Tencent Spring Bud Dream-building" special fund and Shenzhen team of "Spring Bud Dream Chorus."

The special fund was launched by Tencent Charity Foundation in collaboration with the CCTF to follow the call made by Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan, also a special envoy of the Spring Bud project for the advancement of girls' education.  She called for  the implementation of the "Spring Bud Project - Dream of the Future Action" initiative. It aims to further enhance the artistic and scientific literacy of girls from economically underdeveloped areas, promote their all-around development, deepen the integration between internet and public welfare sectors, advance the innovative development of charity affairs both online and offline, raise brand influence of the Spring Bud project, get the public involved in charity activities for children, and ensure their healthy growth.

The "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" is an integral component of the special fund and has set up 12 chorus teams in 10 provincial regions since 2022.

In the years ahead, the special chorus project will create more teams nationwide, help schooling girls master the knowledge and skills of chorus, and bolster their aesthetic competence through the donation of professional equipment, the innovative utilization of digital technology in teaching, the exploration of original music products with regional characteristics, and the organization of professional performers.

In addition, it will also invite State-level children and teenagers' chorus teams to build a partnership of assistance with the "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" teams.

 

Zhang Xiaolan, vice-president and member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), attended the inaugural ceremony via video link. She conveyed thanks to the Communist Party of China (CPC) committees and governments at all levels in Shenzhen, Tencent Corporation and Tencent Charity Foundation for their long-term support toward the work on women and children. She said the Party and the Chinese government have always attached great importance to the development of children's affairs and their growth.

The Spring Bud project, which has received great attention and guidance from Chinese First Lady Peng, has positively transformed the lives of 4.09 million disadvantaged girls nationwide over the past several decades. The "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" was introduced by the CCTF on the basis of "Spring Bud Project - Dream of the Future Action" initiative to underscore the role of talents and culture in rural revitalization, advance the modernization of education, and promote the fairness as well as quality of education.

In her speech, Zhang called on the CCTF and Tencent Corporation to bear in mind the country's fundamental interests, meet the demands of children and their families, leverage their separate strengths in the implementation of relevant projects, and send the love and caring of the CPC and the society to needy children and their families.

Noting that music plays an irreplaceable role in enhancing children's comprehensive competence and promoting their all-around development, Zhang Yanhong, secretary-general of the CCTF, hoped that girls will discover, appreciate and master beauty and gain more sense of happiness through learning music, become self-confident, forge greater strength from music in seeking development and benevolence, and strive to be useful persons for the country, the people and the society.

Zhang added that the CCTF will work together with Tencent Corporation and Tencent Charity Foundation to ensure full implementation of the "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" project and endeavor to become a guide for children's growth, a guardian for children's rights and interests, and a builder for children's future.

Guo Kaitian, president of Tencent Charity Foundation, said that it is committed to promoting the all-around development of children and teenagers and that it has cooperated with the CCTF to carry out a series of public welfare activities under the Spring Bud project since 2006.

He noted that the establishment of Tencent “Spring Bud Dream-building" special fund and Shenzhen team of "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" will provide girls with a larger platform in their growth and help them learn more science and arts.

Ye Chun, deputy head of Nanshan  district, said that local government will further deepen the integration between music and charity,  enlarge the growth of choruses on campuses, intensify the development of universal aesthetic education, and help more children achieve their dream.

Feng Hai, head of Shenzhen team of "Spring Bud Dream Chorus" and president of Tengxing Art Cultural and Artistic Exchanges Service Center, said that the newly founded Shenzhen chorus team will remain committed to charity, tap the potential of girls who love music and show their talent in chorus, and pay more attention to girls from migrant and disadvantaged families.

Feng said that Tengxing Art Cultural and Artistic Exchanges Service Center will roll out "Dream Partners Plan" and gather more social strength for children-oriented public-interest affairs. So far, a special chorus team has been set up across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

At the inaugural ceremony, several chorus teams gave their show in person or via video link as well.

 

Statistics show that the Spring Bud project has raised donations of over three million yuan ($423,309) through Tencent's 99 Charity Day event and other online charity channels and has extended financial aid to 150,000 impoverished girls since 2015.