Chinese basketball star Yao Ming will lead a charity exhibition game in Beijing on Saturday to raise funds for the Project Hope in China.

Chinese basketball star Yao Ming will lead a charity exhibition game in Beijing on Saturday to raise funds for the Project Hope in China.

The exhibition game, to be held in the National Indoor Stadium, will feature a host of NBA big names, including All-Star guard Steve Nash from the Suns, the promising star Brandon Jennings from the Bucks, Clippers'talisman Baron Davis, as well as Yao's Rockets teammate Chase Budinger. The Chinese national basketball team are to take on the NBA-star team.

Chinese basketball star Yao Ming will lead a charity exhibition game in Beijing on Saturday to raise funds for the Project Hope in China.

"When I was in Houston I took part in some charity activities with the team, which really impressed me a lot. Charity activities gave me a sense of satisfaction and success," said Yao in a pre-game press conference on Thursday. "So I also want to do something for my country, for children in Chinese rural areas who really need help."

In order to fulfill his desire to help Chinese children in need, the Houston Rocket center launched the Yao Foundation in 2008 and helped to build six Project Hope elementary schools in the past two years. Saturday's game is a part of the Yao Foundation Charity Tour. The tour will also include a charity banquet on Friday night and another exhibition game in the city of Taipei next Wednesday.

"It's my second year with the charity tour. That is always Yao Ming, not only a great basketball player but also a great person, doing all these to the kids in China, I'm happy to be here to do all we can," said Davis.

Davis' support to Yao was also echoed by Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson. "This is my second time back for Yao Foundation, I'm very honored to be back in China for the children.I will do my best to get Yao a show," said the 23-year-old Johnson.

Newly-appointed Chinese national team coach Bob Donewald also expressed his strong support for Yao. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with Yao's passion. Myself and the team China, We are all looking forward to the game on Saturday and be fun to be part of the event," said Donewald at the press conference.

Apart from inviting the NBA stars to join the exhibition games, Yao also tried to invite Chinese entertainment and sports celebrities to attend the charity auction banquet on Friday. And all the income from the auction will go to the Project Hope.

The Project Hope is a Chinese public service project organized by the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and the Communist Youth League (CYL) Central Committee. Started in October 30, 1989, it aims to build schools in poverty-stricken rural areas of China, to help children whose families are too poor to support them to complete elementary school education. Through Project Hope, the CYDF has also sought to improve educational facilities and improve teaching quality in poor regions.