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| Children in Xinjiang receive sweaters knitted by caring people. |
Guided by the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and Hengyuanxiang Group launched Heng'ai Action in 2005. This public-welfare initiative called on caring people to knit sweaters for orphans and/or children with disabilities. During the past two decades, more than 465,000 kilograms of wool and 147 million yuan (US $21 million) in funding and materials have been donated to the program. Further, 1.5 million sweaters have been knitted and presented to children in need, warming their bodies and hearts.
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| Women of the Tujia and Miao ethnic minority groups, in Central China's Hunan Province, knit sweaters. |
Knitting Love
During the winter of 2005, Heng'ai Action, a novel form of public welfare, ignited the love and compassion of all segments of society.
Gu Xiulian, then-Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and then-President of the ACWF, knit the first stitch to lead the way. That stitch was not only the first stitch of a sweater, but also the first stitch in a pledge of love that has spanned two decades.
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| Children smile as they wear sweaters. |
Initially, the action was implemented in 10 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities. Participants were from all walks of life; for example, octogenarians, college and university students, and mothers with disabilities.
The knitters never met the children; yet, through the back-and-forth of wool, they formed deep bonds with the children, and they helped realize the relay of love that crossed ages, professions and regions. In 2013, the action achieved nationwide coverage.
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| African children wear sweaters knitted by caring Chinese. In 2010, 2,010 sweaters and 2,010 T-shirts were donated to African children. |
The action also crossed oceans, extending its charitable reach to broader horizons. Children in more than 10 countries, including Kazakhstan, Uruguay and Kenya, have worn the sweaters, as the warmth of Chinese philanthropy has covered other regions of the world.
From knitting sweaters for orphans and/or children with disabilities to covering children in disaster-affected areas and/or remote regions, and then reaching out to embrace children around the world, during the past two decades, Heng'ai Action has steadfastly adhered to its original intention of "warming the body and the heart."
The action has continuously expanded its "map of warmth." Whether domestic or international, whether cities or villages, whether plains or plateaus, the wool has spanned geographical boundaries, and connected countless unfamiliar, yet warm, souls.
Ethnic Unity
In 2014, Heng'ai Action's upgraded version, Heng'ai Action — Millions of Families Connected by Love, was launched. The new action mobilized ethnic minority families, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and families in other regions of the country, to knit and exchange sweaters.
The upgraded action aimed to build a platform for exchanges, interactions and emotional connections between families of various ethnic groups.
Women's federations in Xinjiang maintain close contact with women's federations and women and children's development foundations in other regions of China.
For example, Kashgar Women's Federation, in Xinjiang's Kashgar, is responsible for compiling a list of local children coping with difficulties. Shaanxi Women and Children's Development Foundation (in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province) distributes items to each county and district, based on the list, ensuring every child receives a loving sweater.
Winter tends to be exceptionally cold in Xinjiang's Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture. As a result, Hebei Television Station's "Golden Microphone" volunteer service team and Hebei Women's Federation, in North China's Hebei Province, launched a charitable initiative. Under the program, volunteers are called on to knit sweaters, write letters, buy coats and books and donate money.
Every winter, sweaters and supplies, provided by caring people, are presented to children in Bayingol, to ensure they stay warm through the winter.
Ten years ago, caring mothers, from South China's Hainan Province, knitted 15,000 sweaters for children in Xinjiang's Karamay.
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| Thirty-six children, from Xinjiang's Karamay, attended a growth camp, in Hainan Province, in July 2025. |
Ten years later, in July 2025, some 36 children from Karamay attended a growth camp in Hainan. The camp, a novel form of implementing the Heng'ai Action, built a bridge of mutual understanding between Xinjiang and Hainan. During a poetry recitation, during the camp, all of the children said, "The snow of the Tianshan Mountains melts into the waves of the South Sea, the sweaters embroidered with the coconut breeze are like wings. We come to the beach at Tianya Haijiao (a scenic spot in Hainan's Sanya), to see the vast ocean, people are all bravely riding the wind and waves."
Heng'ai Action has pulled together the love of people, from all segments of society, and it has composed a hymn of ethnic unity and friendship.
Nurturing Dreams
If the initial sweaters were "armor," to protect the children from the cold, Heng'ai Action, two decades later, long transcended beyond material support to serve as a "growth engine" supporting the children as they achieved all-round development and realized their dreams.
Countless children have grown with the nurturing of love. In turn, they have passed on the love, creating a perpetual cycle of care.
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| Ma Xiaoting is now a teacher in her hometown. |
The story of Ma Xiaoting, from Northwest China's Qinghai Province, exemplifies the empowering force of the action.
Raised by her grandparents, Ma received a sweater, knitted by teacher Yang Maoji, in the winter of 2016. The moment she put on the sweater, she hugged her teacher tightly, and she softly whispered, "Mom." That tender moment expressed the sincere yearning for warmth from a child.
In 2022, Ma received support from CCTF's Spring Bud Project. She enrolled in the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Shaanxi Normal University.
"Education is about one tree shaking another, one cloud propelling another. The Heng'ai Action is the tree that shook me, and the cloud that propelled me," she says. Ma is now a teacher in her hometown.
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| Wuerken Jumabayi is now a graduate student at Xinjiang Medical University. |
The story of Wuerken Jumabayi, a young man from Xinjiang, also embodies the beauty of sharing love.
Ten years ago, the then-15-year-old boy received a sweater from a caring mother. To him, the sweater was more than just clothing to keep him warm; in actuality, it planted a seed of love and dedication in his heart.
Now a graduate student at Xinjiang Medical University, in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, Wuerken always does his best to share the warmth. He also constantly strives to be a light that shines on others. "I'd like to thank all of the caring mothers. What they knit are not just sweaters, but a bright future for a young boy," he says.
During the past two decades, Heng'ai Action has continuously enriched its content and forms. In 2007, more than 700 caring parents knitted a giant "Olympic Love Sweater," which set a Guinness World Record for the largest sweater.
Heng'ai Stations have become hubs of kindness in communities. Heng'ai handicraft kits have made knitting both fun and easy. Various activities have been conducted to strengthen mutual understanding and exchanges among children from various regions of China.
The action is reaching millions of families, in increasingly diverse ways; yet, its original purpose — "spreading love, safeguarding children and warming families" — remains unchanged.
Everlasting Love, Care
During the past 20 years, Heng'ai Action has attracted the participation of millions of caring families, from across China, and they have helped foster a public-welfare ecosystem that has encouraged nationwide participation.
Each stitch not only weaves together the love of individual families, but also knits the bonds of affection within the big family of the Chinese nation. As such, each stitch ensures the strong sense of community for the Chinese nation is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The action was named the Most Influential Charitable Project in the fourth (2008), fifth (2009) and ninth (2016) editions of the China Charity Awards. In 2023, Heng'ai Action was named an innovative case at the Invention Convention China.
Hengyuanxiang Group was named a 2023 China Philanthropic Enterprise during the eighth China philanthropy annual conference, held in March 2024.
Behind these accolades lie the steadfast commitment of caring people, the growth of countless children, the continuation of Chinese culture, and the boundless love that connects millions of families.
Twenty years have passed, but the original aspiration of Heng'ai Action has never changed. The great love has always accompanied children on their journey toward a bright future.
Photos from CCTF
(Source: CCTF/Women of China)
Editor: Wang Shasha
