China's first volunteer service research center has been launched at the prestigious Peking University, in the wake of the country's burgeoning volunteer service.
A non-profit research and consultancy institution, the Volunteer Service and Welfare Research Center is aimed to study and promote academic exchanges on the growth of the volunteer service in China and the world, according to center sources.
It has taken nine years for China's volunteer service to get established, and the service is currently a popular term in the country, especially among young people; and participation is widespread.
By the end of February this year, 100 million people in China had involved themselves in volunteer service, providing 4.5 billion hours of volunteer work, official figures show.
In late May, China sent its first volunteers to work abroad. And the inaugural group left for the neighboring Laos on May 22.
The research center was launched recently at the joint sponsorship of Peking University, the United Nations Development Program, the Chinese Communist Youth League's Central Committee and two other renowned Chinese organizations.
(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2002)
