On 23 and 24 March 2024, Crystal International Group Limited ("Crystal"), including Chairman, Mr. Kenneth LO, CEO, Mr. Andrew LO, and other management members, Trustee of the Yuk Ching Charity Trust ("Yuk Ching"), Mrs. Irene LO, Trustee and Honorary CEO of Yuk Ching, Mr. Tony LAI, Secretary of Crystal Climate Charity Foundation, Mr. Edmund NG, along with over 180 colleagues from CMZS, ZSYD, DCKG, YJ, and the Hong Kong headquarters, 52 teachers and students from Shunde Luodingbang Middle School, and over 60 local unit leaders and Qujiang district volunteers, participated in these Shaoguan Charity Events. The events included a scholarship award ceremony at Qujiang Middle School in Shaoguan City's Qujiang District on 23 March 2024, sharing sessions with local students, a visit to Qujiang District People's Hospital on 24 March 2024 for the "Bright Eyes Hope Project", consoling patients who have recovered from cataract surgery, and a community tree-planting activity in Tangxi Village, Datang Town, Qujiang District of Shaoguan City, Guangdong, China.
Mainland Scholarship Program
Since initiating charity activities in Qujiang District of Shaoguan City in 1997, even during the pandemic when visits were not possible, Yuk Ching and Crystal's local charity projects have continued. Starting from building "Hope Project" schools and donating educational facilities, it has expanded to include financial support for scholarship plans for universities, middle schools, and elementary schools, free cataract surgery, donation of medical equipment, and environmental tree planting among other categories. Over the years, the number of beneficiaries has been countless. The scholarship program has provided financial aid for outstanding students from impoverished backgrounds in Qujiang District and Zhenjiang District of Shaoguan City for 27 years. In the 2023/24 academic year, 283 students from Qujiang and Zhenjiang Districts received financial aid.
Free Recovery Surgery for Impoverished Rural Cataract Patients
Cataracts are the world's leading cause of blindness, and China is the country with the most severe blindness. In the rural areas of Shaoguan City, many impoverished cataract patients delay treatment due to financial difficulties. Since 2009, Yuk Ching has launched the "Bright Eyes Hope Project" in cooperation with the Communist Youth League Qujiang District Committee, Qujiang District Health Planning Bureau, Qujiang District People's Hospital, and Qujiang District Volunteer Association. Yuk Ching fully funds free recovery surgery for impoverished rural cataract patients. The project has been running for 15 years, bringing hope of recovery to over 3,300 impoverished patients. In 2024, the project entered its fourth five-year plan, aiming to complete no less than 300 surgeries each year, benefiting more impoverished patients and their families.
In the morning of 24 March 2024, Crystal and Yuk Ching representatives, as well as Crystal volunteer colleagues, visited Qujiang District People's Hospital responsible for the "Bright Eyes Hope Project," extending gratitude to the hospital staff for their support and efforts. Local leaders and medical staff led the representatives and volunteers to visit each ward to console cataract patients and presented them with thermos cups and red pockets as a token of goodwill. Following the visit, a "Bright Eyes Hope Project" appreciation ceremony was held, where the hospital reviewed the project's work over the past years and signed the 2024-2025 five-year cooperation plan.
Community Tree Planting Event
On 24 March 2024, local leaders and Crystal's management, leading over 180 colleagues from CMZS, ZSYD, DCKG, YJ, and the Hong Kong headquarters, together with representatives from Yuk Ching and Crystal Climate Charity Foundation, 52 teachers and students from Shunde Luodingbang Middle School, and 60 volunteers from Qujiang District, with a total of more than 300 people participated in the community tree planting event in Tangxi Village, Datang Town, Qujiang District, Shaoguan City.
In line with Crystal's commitment to sustainable development, the slogan of the day was "Green water and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver," promoting to build a "Green and Beautiful Guangdong". The tree planting event was carried out smoothly with the coordination of the local Communist Youth League, the Volunteer Association, and the support of the Datang Town Party Committee and government of Shaoguan City. The event mainly involved planting white flower camellia trees, with a planned afforestation area of 200 mu (approximately 13.3 hectares), planting more than 14,800 camellia trees. After periodic maintenance, the camellia trees will be transferred to the local village groups at no cost, aiming to realize the goals of green sharing and collective income increase for the local residents, with significant social and economic benefits.
Crystal has been committed to sustainable development. Since 2007, it has taken green ecological environmental protection as an important development direction and promoted tree planting projects in various countries of operations around the world, planning to plant 1 million trees every five years to advocate for a green lifestyle. Yuk Ching has assisted Crystal in carrying out environmental tree planting projects in Qujiang District of Shaoguan City and other provinces for many years. To date, the scope of tree planting has exceeded 3,500 mu (approximately 233 hectares), with a total number of nearly 350,000 trees, which is encouraging.
