China will grant Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan and fortune tycoon Li Kai-sing a "China Charity Award" each to mark their outstanding contributions to China's charities.

It is the first time that Chinese government issues such an award since the founding of new China in 1949.

More than a hundred individuals and social entities will also get the award at the China Charity Conference, to be held from November 20 to 21.

"We want to encourage the whole society to support the charity cause through governmental operations and cultivate a culture of charity across the country," Dou Yupei, the spokesman of the ministry, told a press conference.

The major assessment standard for the award is the donation amount and frequency of denotations. Anybody can acquire the honor if their donations account for a certain proportion of their incomes, according to the organizers.

The China Charity Conference, to be held this Sunday, will be sponsored by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Charity Federation. More than 700 participants will attend it.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2005)