Last week I attended a birthday party in Shanghai that doubled as a charity event. A young Chinese professional in her mid-twenties named Grace invited me to take part in promoting an activity she holds close to her heart: helping the less fortunate in China. I work with Grace on occasion as a lecturer for Western MBA programs her company hosts in China. Several weeks before I had discussed with her how the young Chinese affluent were finding fulfillment in their hectic, stressful lives. She had suggested that Chinese charities were a scene of great activity, in lieu for many of seeking a God that met their requirements.

The party took place in the loft of the River South Art Center, on Suzhou Creek. The River South Art Center was historically a warehouse on a tributary feeding the Huangpu River – the famous Shanghai outlet to the Pacific Ocean – which made Shanghai the important entrepot it has become.

At the entrance to the loft was a sign-up counter and small wooden contribution chest for the Chinese charity, The One Egg Project. The One Egg project involves donors making contributions that will help children in the poorest villages in China be able to afford to eat at least a single egg, daily. Apparently, such a simple unit-source of protein makes a quantum difference in the height, weight and academic performance of children. Grace’s desire that evening was to have invitees each contribute at least 100 rmb to the cause, instead of giving her a birthday gift.

Just inside the entrance, off to the side of the central dais, stood a large screen onto which some of the charities displayed videos of the result of their efforts throughout some of the poorest parts of China. A crowd of about two hundred was already milling about, all young Chinese professionals evenly split between men and women. Some were dressed in jeans with laptop computer bags slung over their shoulders, while others were stylishly dressed in evening attire that gave the event an almost-chic feel. Whenever there was a break in presentations by any one of the Master of Ceremonies, a charity speaker, or Grace herself, chill-out music filled the space  and made everyone feel “cool”.

Within the loft itself an array of other charities displayed their causes at tables, counters, and video displays:

• Raleigh, outdoor leadership adventures that contributes to charities;
• Shanghai Young Bakers, which takes teenage orphans and provides free training as bakers in Western bakeries, restaurants and hotels;
• Shokay, which sells wares made of yak wool from Mongolia;
• The Zhejiang Xinhua Compassion Education Foundation;
• The Xingeng Workshop, a volunteer organization that helps stricken villages stricken get back on their feet;

…and others…

I’m glad I made the trip into Shanghai specifically for the event, which was one of the nicest and most creative birthday parties I’ve ever been to anywhere in the world. At the end of the evening Grace announced that over 300 guests had contributed more than 38,000 rmb to The One Egg project. My eggs will go to a little girl name Huang Ling, an eighth-grader in Wangmin Village, Xiji County, Ningxia Province.

I hope it makes a difference.