The Development of Philanthropy in Contemporary China

Madame Yang Lan will speak on philanthropy in China at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Madame Yang Lan is Chairwoman of the Sun Culture Foundation, a Hong-Kong-based non-profit that focuses on education and poverty alleviation. She is one of China’s most prominent philanthropists and public figures. Mme. Yang hosted Bill Gates and Warren Buffet during their meetings with 50 top business leaders and philanthropists in Beijing in September 2010, as part of their mission to promote global philanthropy.

She has been described as “China’s Oprah Winfrey.” Ms. Yang is co-founder of the Sun Media Group and host of the popular Chinese television program “Yang Lan One On One,” which has an estimated 200 million viewers. On her program, Ms. Yang has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, including Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and Kobe Bryant, among many others. Mme. Yang also hosted the Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Ms. Yang is a representative to Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress, which recently met jointly with the National People’s Congress in Beijing; she is also a UNICEF Ambassador for China.

Ms. Yang Lan received the B.A. from Beijing Foreign Studies University and M.A. from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She worked in Chinese Central Television (CCTV) in the early 1980s and won the Golden Microphone Award as the nation’s best TV host.