ＮＧＯｓ Ｃｏｎｔｒｉｂｕｔｅ ｔｏ Ｃｕｌｔｕｒａｌ Ｐｒｏｓｐｅｒｉｔｙ ｉｎ Ｓｈａｎｇｙｕ

Mr. He Zhenliang， a member of IOC and honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee， is a native of Shangyu， a city in eastern Zhejiang. He has been a household name in Shangyu since Beijing began to bid for the right to host Olympic Games and his fame climaxed in Shangyu during the year of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The natives of Shangyu， however， will also appreciate the achievement of Shangyu Research Association of Native Celebrities. It is this institute that determined that Mr. He Zhenliang has ancestral roots in Shangyu.

In 2001 when the whole nation was celebrating China’s successful bidding for the right to host 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and He Zhenliang became a household name across the country， the newly established association became aware of the roots of the national hero. A research confirmed that Mr. He’s ancestral roots were indeed in Shangyu. Mr. He Zhenliang was born in Shanghai and spent his childhood years in Wuxi. So the association thought it should do something to let He know about his hometown. The association lost no time to start a media campaign. Stories about He’s ancestral past appeared in the local and provincial media. He Zhenliang was pleased to receive newspaper clippings about his hometown and paid several visits to Shangyu with his wife in search of his roots. The association felt happy about its prompt action and satisfying result， for it was clearly aware that Wuxi and Shanghai could have claimed Mr. He Zhenliang as their native hero.

Mr. He Zhenliang is just one of the 1，500 native celebrities that the association has studied and surveyed. Since 2001， the association has expanded and now it has more than 200 enthusiastic members. A list of over 1，500 local celebrities compiled and published by the association includes their names， mail addresses and phone numbers.

The association takes it upon itself to rescue cultural heritages. In 2004， the association found that the Zhu Family memorial temple， a hallmark of the village of the Zhu family， where the heroine of the Butterfly Lovers lived， was about to collapse. The association obtained the government approval and raised 100，000 yuan to have it restored. In 2006， the association hosted an exhibition to showcase 200 representative local celebrities at the city’s archives center.

And the association is just one of various high-profile nongovernmental organizations engaged in cultural affairs in Shangyu. In recent years， cultural organizations have mushroomed.The Magnolia Boxing Association， a ten-year-old fitness organization with more than 1，000 members， is dedicated to promoting the Magnolia Boxing， something in between martial art and dancing. Amateur singers， dancers， opera actors， artists， drama actors and enthusiasts engaged in other cultural undertakings have their separate organizations. The Sunshine Choir， a grassroots singing group， won a silver medal at the 2006 World Choir Games held in Xiamen.

Shangyu and its neighboring Xinchang have jointly set up a committee for the purpose of applying for the intangible cultural heritage status for the Route of Tang Poetry. The route， which extends across the picturesque Shangyu and Xinchang， is signified by a large number of great poems written by poets during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who came to visit this part of the country.

The Folk Cultural Exchanges Association is another important NGO in Shangyu. It sponsored an international exhibition of fine arts in June， 2008 and received more than 400 paintings and calligraphies and 300 poems from all over China as well as the countries and regions such as USA， Canada， Japan， Italy and Taiwan. □

Local business people are a major force in the cultural renaissance Shangyu is experiencing. Wang Miaotong， the owner of a local company， built a 7-million theater in Chenxi Town in May， 2004. He later donated six workshops in his factory to the town. The workshops have been renovated into a culture center for elderly people.Lin Ping， a local copper tycoon， set up a culture foundation with 5 million in 2007. The foundation plans to distribute an annual amount of 100，000 out of profit for cultural activities in Tangpu Town. Lin Ping was praised by the local government for his contribution. Other business people have followed suit by establishing their cultural development foundations in their hometowns.

Shangyu Forums at www.0575bbs.com are home to a large group of enthusiasts who care for the cultural prosperity and heritage of their home city. These people are zealous about the history and culture of Shangyu. Last year， the natives were invited to take part in a government-sponsored survey of cultural heritages. Locals contributed 60，528 clues. After careful sorting and research， 118 suggestions are classified as key suggestions to be followed up and 1，300 items of cultural heritages are determined. □