Lecture: A “Brand Nü” Way to Do Charity
What are different ways to do charity in China? Although most people concentrate on fundraising events and volunteering, this doesn’t have to be the case. The owner of the small charity shop Brandnü, Nathan Zhang, has come up with an innovative way to help the needy.
Although the project is for profit, “Brandnü is an ethical trade network for rural artisans. In partnership with China’s socially-conscious designers and artists, the Brandnü project aims to help (re)design rural livelihoods by offering support, resources and better access to urban markets.”
In his lecture, Nathan will explore his reasons for doing the project, as well as how it began. He will also delve into the intricacies and logistics of running a charity shop. Lastly, he will go into the difficulties of running such a project, and open up to us the future of Brandnü.
Nathan Zhang is the owner of Brandnü located in Beijing’s Wudaoying Hutong near Lama Temple. “Nü” is the Chinese word for female ( 女 ), but it also means “new”. One of the main missions of Brandnü is to support gender equity concerns. In Zhang’s words, “Nü is women. My main work is how I can help rural women redesign their handicrafts.” In order to do so, Brandnü works closely with female artisans through collaborating with Rural Women, a non-profit that aims to develop the potential of rural Chinese women.
Date and Time: Thursday, January 27th 19:00—21:30
Location:
Hutong School Courtyard
Shuangsi Hutong 8
Jiu Gulou Dajie
Xicheng District, Beijing
北京市西城区旧鼓楼大街双寺胡同 8 号
Price: Free of charge
IMPORTANT: Entrance without registration is not allowed.
Please reserve by emailing Stacey.Lai@hutongschool.com before noon on Wednesday, January 26th.
Find out more about the events we organize for our students on our Cultural Immersion page. For an overview of all our upcoming events please check our Calendar.