Research Of The Shanghai Charity Federation(1927-1937)

Since the Republic of China, the development of Shanghai philanthropy greatly promoted the exchanges and cooperation of charitable organizations, and gradually formed a charitable network covering the whole of Shanghai. The Shanghai Charity Federation is established in this context. The organization has roughly gone through three stages of development in the 25 years of its existence. The scientific organization structure and operation mechanism are the guarantee that it could play an important role in Shanghai during the period of Republic of China. Since the establishment of the Shanghai Charity Federation,especially 1927-1937, make full use of its Shanghai charitable network core status, give full play to the role of coordination mechanism,and organize Shanghai charitable groups to carry out various charitable activities, mainly including winter relief, disaster relief, refugee repatriation,medical relief, corpses buried, etc., it has made important contributions to poverty relief and the maintenance of social order in Shanghai and even the whole country. In the process of these charitable activities, Shanghai charitable network expand further and philanthropy develop more deeply. However, the Shanghai Charity Federation ultimately failed to avoid the non-governmental charitable organizations’ embarrassment of the lack of funds in modern China. Under the controlof funds, the activities of the Shanghai Charity Federation were affected greatly. The activities are mainly temporary relief, charitable education is less, and the initiative to carry out activities shown slightly insufficient.At the same time to carry out charitable activities, the Shanghai Charity Federation also interact with the Shanghai administrative authorities frequently, on charitable laws and regulations, charity property arrangement and land tax break of charitable organizations and other issues. In this process, it acts as a intermediary between the Shanghai philanthropy and the Shanghai administrative authorities. Thus, it not only gives a valid channel to express their views to the government for the Shanghai general charitable groups, but also facilitates the Shanghai government department to manage Shanghai philanthropy. The existence and the important role of the Shanghai Charity Federation in the Republic of China inspire us that currently we can build similar charity federation to promote the further development of philanthropy. At the same time, the government can also draw lessons from the interaction between the Shanghai Charity Federation and the Shanghai municipal authorities.