SHENZHEN Special Zone Daily held a charity award ceremony Saturday night to celebrate the coming 40th anniversary of its establishment at Shenzhen Special Zone Daily Tower, the Daily reported.

The event awarded 10 experienced editors and reporters, 10 excellent correspondents, several loyal readers, 13 enterprises and a number of representatives from government departments and social entities.

Wei Jiancheng won a prize for his outstanding achievements in reporting. Since 1986, Wei has published nearly 3,000 articles and photos on the Daily, many of which were highly influential.

Wei’s instinct for stories led to the first long report on singer and philanthropist Cong Fei’s benevolent deeds known to the public in 2005. The news promptly attracted national attention and Cong was given the “2005 Award for Moving China” for his 11-year devotion to charity. Unfortunately, Cong passed away a year later due to cancer.

Shenzhen Mingzhe Property Management Co. was awarded at the ceremony for donating 1 million yuan (US$149,400) to help disadvantaged students every year since 2020.

“We hope to work with influential media in Shenzhen like the Daily, and encourage more enterprises and individuals to participate in charity,” said Yan Guotao, the firm’s vice president said.

Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, established May 24, 1982, is the first and most influential and authoritative newspaper among China’s special economic zones.

In the spring of 1992, the Daily published a series of eight editorials and a landmark feature story titled “The East Wind Brings Spring All Around,” which recorded the epic visit to South China by Deng Xiaoping, publicizing his thoughts on reform and opening up. The reports and editorials helped bring a new spring to the stalled reform and opening-up process in the country.  (Xia Yuanjie)