At the close of 1993, the medical team of Project Concern Hong Kong was invited to visit and provide service to northern Guangdong. During the trip and while conducting medical check-up for the students at Guangming Experimental Middle School in Qingyuan City, the medical team members saw the needs of impoverished mountainous regions. At the moment, 19 high school boarding students recruited from nearby mountains were about to cease their studies and return home after just one school term because donation suddenly discontinued. The medical team members were moved by the passion and perseverance of the school principal and teachers, and some of them pledged immediately to pay for their remaining tuition, boarding and living expenses until graduation.

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Dr Kim-kwong Chan, vice leader of the medical team, took the initiative to found "Friends of Guangming Poverty Alleviation through Education Committee" to raise fund for these 19 students. First of its kind, this one-to-one sponsorship scheme recruited young people to board and study at Guangming School, after which they would find jobs in nearby cities and use their wages to get their families out of poverty.

As the sponsorship scheme developed, the Committee was incorporated in 1996 as "Hong Kong Friends of Guangming Association", a charitable organisation with tax exemption status under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

Qingyuan / Northern Guangdong Province (1993-2005)

Since 1993, as understanding and friendship deepened between the Guangming School and Friends of Guangming, support and collaboration expanded. Over 12 years, our pioneer high school sponsorship scheme provided for tuition, boarding and living expenses for a total of 392 graduates from the mountainous regions around Qingyuan, bringing great positive change to each of their families. Meanwhile, in each year, tuition sponsorship was provided to 60 day students from poor families in the city. Besides, to cope with the growing needs for boarding and teaching activities, we also raised fund to construct a 7-storey building for the School.

Alongside financial assistance, our directors and volunteers frequently visited the School. We met our sponsorship scheme students and new applicants in their mountainous homes, and participated in the school opening ceremony and graduation dinner each year. Enthusiastic volunteers also offered training and hosted festive activities such as English classes, typing classes, first-aid classes, mid-autumn gathering.

Shaanxi Province: School Buildings, Infrastructure and Training (1996/1998-2013)

The works of Friends of Guangming in Shaanxi focused on building and re-building schools and students hostels, as well as infrastructure such as drinking water supply projects in remote mountain villages. Special initiatives included a pioneering sheep farming scheme in Linyou County with huge success and perpetual impact. Meanwhile in Xi'an, an orphanage was built to provide a shelter for unfortunate children whose parents were serving life sentences.

In addition to hardware, to help address the vast phenomenon of "left-behind children" in rural villages, we lined up seasoned clinical and educational psychologists to provide intensive training to counselling teachers in charge of left-behind children over a 3-year time span.

Two dozens of projects had been successfully implemented in Shaanxi with the indispensable partnership of Mr Su Ming, former vice-chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee of Shaanxi Province and former vice-chairman of Shaanxi Soong Ching Ling Foundation. An elderly by age, Mr Su tirelessly visited sites and monitored projects personally, and led his colleagues by example.

With the economic development of the West of China, Friends of Guangming were once again pleased to see that our timely assistance to the region had served the purpose.

Yunnan Province - Weixi (2003-2007) and Baoshan (2012-2020)

Various educational projects including literacy classes for adults and school construction were completed in just a few years with the help of Rev Yu Wenliang, head of the Yunnan Christian Church, for Tibetan, Lisu and various ethno-groups in the high mountains of Weixi Lisu Autonomous County.

For the sojourners on the Baoshan remote mountains, Friends of Guangming worked with Rev Xu Chengyun, head of the Social Services Centre of Baoshan Christian Church, to address a wide range of humanitarian needs. Over 9 years, we funded the building of schools, hiring of teachers, breakfast at schools, steel water tanks in scattered villages, seeds and fertilizers to improve yield, regular medical visits on the mountains, and purchasing a 4WD vehicle to facilitate visits and transportation of resources.

As the Chinese government had eradicated poverty and migrated sojourners to city, Friends of Guangming also concluded our efforts in Baoshan.

Beside major projects, Friends of Guangming provided clothing, beddings, teaching equipment, musical instruments, sports equipment, food and books in response to different situations and needs across northern Guangdong / Qingyuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan and other locations.

The effectiveness and efficiency of our projects are a result of our collaboration with capable and like-minded local partners. Back in Hong Kong, we introduced and liaised with other organizations as they developed their poverty alleviation projects, such as tertiary scholarships for Guangming School graduates provided by Lisac International, English teaching training course for Guangming School teachers taught by the Centre for Cross Cultural Services, First Aid training course by a medical team.

In 2015, our member was fully supported by his clan in Kam Tin Kut Hing Village to organise the Guangming Charity Poon Choi Dinner Gala. Over 50 tables of guests donated more than HKD600,000 to the projects for Baoshan sojourners. Friends of Guangming had also engaged a new generation of volunteers.

After the Yunnan Baoshan projects, the search for next suitable projects was delayed by COVID for a few years. In 2025, Friends of Guangming moved forward from the needs in Mainland China to Chiang Mai in the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. We have started supporting a student centre in Phrao District. Please stay tuned and join us: [Fund-raising brief in Chinese].

Jeffrey KK Tang, Chairman
Holly Ho, Secretary
Selma Fong, Treasurer

All of our directors and members serve on a voluntary basis, without incurring any administrative cost, in order to distribute our donations fully and directly to our donees. Directors and members are responsible for their own liaison and travel expenses.