Late film mogul has philanthropic history

Run Run Shaw, one of the leading figures in the Chinese film industry, died at his Hong Kong home the morning of Jan 7 at the age of 107.

Shaw dedicated much of his time in his later life on charity and philanthropy. In 1973, he set up the Shaw Foundation in Hong Kong to support the development of education, medical development and art causes. Every year, the foundation donates large sums of money to related projects on the Chinese mainland.

The foundation has been working with China's Ministry of Education since 1985.

China News Service reported that by 2012, the foundation has donated HK$4.75 billion ($612.6 million) to the Chinese mainland for more than 6,000 projects.

In 2012, Hao Ping, China's deputy education minister, said that the foundation has donated the most of all overseas foundations with the most projects and longest period of support.

The foundation has helped build education facilities, especially schools and libraries, around 31 provinces and regions on the Chinese mainland by 2012. Two libraries in Peking University, which were completed in 2000, were built under the support of the foundation, which donated about 20 million yuan ($3.3 million).

The foundation set up the Shaw Prize in 2002, honoring living "individuals, regardless of race, nationality and religious belief, who have achieved significant breakthroughs in academic and scientific research or application, and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind."

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