The 2016 Big Ben Award & Global Ten Outstanding Chinese Young Persons Charity Award Ceremony were held in London on the night of 15 October. Yue Lei, a young man from Nanjing born in the 1980s and serving as United for Wildlife (UFW) ambassador and senior vice president of Sanpower Group, was presented with the Global Ten Outstanding Chinese Young Persons award alongside celebrities such as pianist Li Yundi, Hunan TV host Wang Han, and lyricist Vincent Fang.

Yue Lei attended the 2016 Big Ben Award & Global Ten Outstanding Chinese Young Persons Selection Charity Award Ceremony

In March 2016, one of the Chinese post-80s generation, Yue Lei was appointed UFW Ambassador in London by Prince William, chairman of UFW. Yue Lei was the first Chinese person to receive this honour. Since he took this position, with strong support from Sanpower Group and all the other concerned parties, Yue Lei has been actively promoting wildlife protection in China, and contributing “Chinese power” and “a Chinese solution” to this philanthropic service. He has carried out a number of wildlife protection campaigns in China as well as exchanged views about how to build non-governmental cooperation mechanisms with the ambassadors of Botswana and Zimbabwe, launched a poster design activity focusing on wildlife protection in collaboration with the London Design Festival “Nanjing Week” Committee, and conducted the launch ceremony of a charity taxi programme at the headquarters of the Sanpower, making use of the British style taxis to promote wildlife protection.

From right to left: Christian Vivante Giovannini, Cities of London and Westminster Conservatives Italian Group founding chairman, Ms Mei Sim Lai, representative deputy lieutenant for the London Borough of Brent and Honorary Secretary of the City Branch of the Institute of Directors, Yue Lei, senior vice president of Sanpower Group, David Tang, senior vice president of the UK Chinese Business Association, Jonsson Li, president of the World Youth Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the British Chinese Youth Federation

Suring the ceremony and after winning the award, Yue Lei delivered a keynote speech on wildlife protection, saying, “Honour is fleeting, but the mission itself is lasting. It is the unremitting efforts that lead to an honour, but that honour requires further commitments to live up to.” Yue Lei called on everyone to concern themselves with and support wildlife protection, and to pay more attention to the protection of endangered species such as elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, pandas. “According to statistics, the current number of endangered wildlife species around the world has reached 794.” He further stressed, “We do not want our generation to watch these iconic wild animals turn into specimens and fossils. I am not mentally prepared to explain to my children and grandchildren why we still lose this battle, even we have tools and resources to win.” Yue Lei spoke out loud, “Though we cannot change the past, we can master the present and change the future! The most important point is to unify our minds and work together, sending out our Chinese signal and strength to every corner of the world!”

The Big Ben Award originated in the UK in 2008. It is co-hosted by the World Youth Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the British Chinese Youth Federation and the Overseas Cultural Relics Protection Foundation. It currently includes the Ten Outstanding Chinese Young Persons Award, individual and organisational awards, the Golden Unicorn Award, as well as the Golden Mulberry Award, among others. It has been called the “Davos” for the world of outstanding Chinese youth. It aims to honour young people who have either excelled in their work or contributed tremendously to society, establishing role models of outstanding Chinese youngsters from different fields and industries for the next generation to follow, helping youngsters to form new outlooks on the world, life and values and shouldering responsibilities for China’s future. Many of the winners of the past “Big Ben Award”, such as Louis Cha, Charles Zhang, Deng Yaping, Yao Ming, Ding Junhui, Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, Eason Chan, are very successful and publicly-recognised.