BEIJING — Chinese citizens have opened their wallets to the victims of last month’s earthquake, but not all their generosity has been voluntary. At some companies, bosses have put up lists of names of employees who have donated and how much they’ve given. Pressure is high to pony up.
The president of the Hasee computer company in Shenzhen, Wu Haijun, circulated a notice labeling the 1 percent of his employees who didn’t offer donations “coldblooded people” and said, “We hope they leave this company.”
For most Chinese, generosity has come naturally since the earthquake ravaged southern China’s Sichuan province May 12, killing more than 69,100 people. So far, China has tallied $6.3 billion in relief donations from at home and abroad. Tens of thousands of volunteers flocked to the quake zone to offer assistance, and millions more participated in an unprecedented outpouring.
Some social scientists describe the phenomenon as a milestone in China’s social development, saying it shows a rise in individual compassion and charitable giving.
“It’s good news for civil society. People are aware of their social responsibility,” said Jia Xijin, a scholar at the school of public policy and management at Tsinghua University.
But grumbling has erupted over the zeal with which company executives and government officials have demanded donations, and those complaining aren’t just ordinary Chinese.
Feeling pressure to display generosity, some executives of foreign companies with operations in China quietly voice fears that they might be targeted for boycotts if they aren’t seen as exemplary in their giving.
Even foreign diplomats say that the Foreign Ministry in Beijing is pressuring them for disaster donations. One European diplomat, who wasn’t authorized by his government to speak publicly, said it was clear that China was “keeping score” of how much each country gave.
The large flows of money for quake relief have prompted a smattering of citizen commentary on the Internet over how to ensure the aid is properly spent.
In response, Beijing has promised increased transparency, even as censors have begun deleting Internet postings questioning details of relief spending and have warned newspaper editors to stay away from the topic.
