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Singer Wei Wei, goodwill ambassador for this year's activity, preforms her song The Dedication to Love in sign language with 5,824 others at the 15th Beijing Hope Run on September 28 (CHEN RAN) |
On the morning of September 28, Tian Chen and his wife Xu Xiaolei brought their four-year-old daughter Tian Mengyang to Chaoyang Park. The family joined an estimated 6,000 participants at Thousand People's Square, to prepare for the 15th Beijing Hope Run.
Launched in 1999, the Beijing Hope Run was inspired in part by the Terry Fox Run, which was the largest single day cancer fundraiser in history. The Terry Fox Run was held in memory of Terry Fox, a Canadian bone cancer patient who ran 5,373 kilometers across Canada in 143 days whilst battling the illness in order to raise funds for cancer research in 1980.
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Members of Beijing Anti-Cancer Paradise, a non-profit organization initiated by cancer survivors, perform The Dedication to Love in sign language with Singer Wei Wei at the 15th Beijing Hope Run on September 28 (CHEN RAN) |
This year's event was organized jointly by the Cancer Institute and Hospital (CIH) at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and by the China Cancer Foundation, with assistance in coordinating the event provided by the Embassy of Canada in Beijing and the Chaoyang District Health Bureau.
Singer Wei Wei, goodwill ambassador for this year's event, performed her song The Dedication to Love in sign language together with 5,824 others. "Today is my birthday. I am honored to join the activity and become part of the anti-cancer campaign," Wei said.
Three Olympic champions - former women's volleyball captain Feng Kui, marksman Yang Ling and gymnast Xing Aowei - took the lead for the run, which covered some 7 km.
"I think this event has meaning, so I'm joining in," first-time runner Feng Kun told Beijing Review. "I have taken part in other charity activities before because I think I'm obligated to do so."
"We finished the run last year," said Xu Xiaolei. "My daughter is excited to run with other children. I think it's best for her to have an awareness of charity from a young age."
According to He Jie, President of the Cancer Institute and Hospital, more than 270,000 people have participated in the event since 1999, and over 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) has been raised for cancer research and treatment in China through the annual event.
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