Hot Words

Guo Meimei phenomenon 郭美美现象 (Guo Meimei xian xiang)

Is one person enough to ruin a nationwide charity organization? If the person is 23-year-old Guo Meimei, the answer is yes. She grabbed the headlines when she used her micro blog to claim to be a manager of the non-existent "Red Cross Commerce" in 2011 while flaunting her luxury possessions such as Hermes handbags and Lamborghini sports cars. The blatant display of wealth made many people suspicious about possible corruption in the Red Cross Society of China.

The scandal, together with the lack of transparency and other problems associated with charity organizations, dealt a heavy blow to the reputation of the Red Cross. Even though Guo was recently detained by police on suspicion of running a soccer gambling racket and has admitted that she had made false claims three years ago, the Red Cross is still far from regaining public trust.