On September 4, 2010, the "Great Love without Borders – Caring for the Disabled" international charity sale initiated by Madame Le Aimei, wife of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was held in Chaoyang park, Beijing. Sixty-five foreign embassies and representative offices of international organizations in China, five subordinate units of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs including the Department of Services for Foreign Ministry Home and Overseas Offices, Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions, World Affairs Press, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and the Association of Former Diplomats of China and one Hong Kong cultural foundation set up 90 charity booths selling handicrafts, commodities, books and foods. Fund raised will be used to build two rehabilitation centers for the disabled, one in the landslide-hit Zhouqu county of Gansu Province and the other in Xibaipo of Hebei Province. Foreign Minister Yang and his wife, Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao and his wife, President of China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) Tang Xiaoquan, Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality Zhao Huimin and sixty foreign diplomatic envoys to China attended the opening ceremony.
Madame Le made an address first of all. On behalf of Foreign Minister Yang, she thanked the foreign embassies and representative offices of international organizations in China for their long-term caring and support for China's charity undertaking. As the follow-up event of the "Great Love without Borders" charity sale last year, the sale this year is designed to gather love and promote the universal virtues of helping the poor and the needy and carry forward the lofty love without national boundaries. She pointed out that China has nearly 83 million disable people the majority of whom live in the rural area. The Chinese government has dedicated relentless efforts in improving the livelihood of the disabled. The success of 2008 Beijing Paralympics advanced the undertaking of the disabled and drew attention of the society to people with disabilities. But there is still a long way to go and the resettlement and rehabilitation of people with disabilities remain an arduous task. To select to help the disabled aims exactly at calling on the entire society to pay attention to the undertaking of people with disabilities, help them and enable them, especially the poor disabled in the rural area to move out of difficult conditions as soon as possible and make the heart of each disable people filled with sunshine of caring.
Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in China and Singaporean Ambassador to China Chin Siat Yoon and President of the CDPF Tang Xiaoquan also addressed the opening ceremony respectively. Le Aimei and Tang Xiaoquan presented gratitude letters and honorary certificates to the representatives of sponsor organizations including Lenovo, Beijing Tong Ren Tang and PetroChina and those friendly personnel from Hong Kong. Later, Foreign Minister Yang and other distinguished guests cut ribbon for the charity sale and the Ukrainian embassy in China and China Disabled Art Troupe performed songs and dances respectively.
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After the opening ceremony ended, Foreign Minister Yang and Madame Le as well as foreign diplomatic envoys came to the booths and bought souvenirs and handicrafts to play their part in promoting China's undertaking for the disabled.
The charity sale raised a total amount of about RMB 1.4 million. The CDPF will be responsible for the implementation of funding projects.