A sense of belonging in East China

You may not have heard of Jinjiang city, but the vitality of this county in East China's Fujian province could surprise you.

The county quickly found its way during China's opening-up process, and developed a thriving shoe industry. Commonly known as the City of Shoes across China, Jinjiang boasts a complete industrial supply chain for shoe production. It has been the richest county in Fujian province for 17 consecutive years, and is one of the richest county-level cities in the whole of China. Now Jinjiang is aiming to make a name for itself on the international stage.

In Oct 2017,Jinjiang won the bid to host ISF Gymnasiade 2020, becoming the second city in China to hold the international youth sports event after Shanghai. Since then Jinjiang has been preparing for the event.

Jinjiang Charity Night was held in Jinjiang city, East China's Fujian province on Dec 18, along with the launch of a countdown to Gymnasiade 2020.

Generous benefactors from home and abroad donated a total of 580 million yuan ($83 million) during the event. Part of the money will help to ensure the smooth running of the upcoming World Gymnasiade 2020, while the rest will go to local education.

The amount of funds raised illustrates the strong sense of belonging of the people of Jinjiang. Some of the benefactors have established their lives outside of Jinjiang, yet do not hesitate when it comes to making their hometown a better place. The tight bond between the county and its people is one of the secrets of Jinjiang's success over the years.

Jinjiang has made tremendous progress over the past 40 years under China's reform and opening-up policy, said Liu Wenru, Party Secretary of Jinjiang city at Jinjiang Charity Night. The people of Jinjiang should further unite and quicken the pace to transform Jinjiang into an international city and move towards a better future, Liu also said.

The 18th ISF World Gymnasiade will take place in the East China city from Oct 18-23 in 2020. At the countdown event, a giant screen informed the audience that there are 670 days until the much-anticipated international sports event.

The mascot candidates and theme song candidates for World Gymnasiade 2020 were also released, and the public will vote for their favorites.

Since its establishment in 2002, the Jinjiang Charity Federation has hosted charity events, including Jinjiang Charity Night. Over the years, the organization has raised more than 3 billion yuan ($430 million) and helped over 173,000 suffering in poverty.