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Under a sky full of stars at a romantic concert, dreams begin to sprout; on the long and tearful journey of searching for lost family members, mutual understanding, care, and help are never lacking; on the green football fields, where young footballers’ dreams are born, there is always the supportive hand of a senior...
Recently, at the 2025 China Internet Media Forum held in Nanning, Guangxi, themed “Leveraging Diverse Forces to Co-create a Prosperous Content Ecosystem,” three finalists from the Boundless Digital Love Initiative which collects and promotes stories about technology-powered charity projects brought an outpouring of warmth and emotion to the live audience.
Since November 2024, the China Federation of Internet Societies, in partnership with the China Internet Development Foundation and Ecns.cn, and with support from the China Positive Energy Network Communication Special Fund, has been organizing the Boundless Digital Love Initiative to collect and showcase stories of digital projects that benefit the public. Fifty representative stories were selected, and the list of finalists was recently announced.
These heartwarming stories, driven by the Internet and digital technologies, convey real emotions through intangible network signals.
Dreams Begin in the Mountains, Guided by Starlight
One evening in September 2024, the gentle autumn breeze and the starry sky accompanied a unique concert in Youjiawan, Ludian, Yunnan.
Ludian is rebuilt after an earthquake. Traveling up the winding “Eighteen Bends” Mountain Road, one arrives at Suoshan Primary School perched in the clouds. In the story shared by Wang Nan, initiator of the “Starry Sky Concert in the Mountains” project from Poly China Arts and Crafts (PCAC), songs of passion, courage, dreams, and hope resonate through the remote mountains, spreading music and smiles.
According to Wang Nan, the project was launched in March 2024. After 180 days of collaboration involving over a thousand universities, more than 2,000 original songs were collected nationwide. In the season of harvest—September—musicians and university volunteers traveled deep into the mountains to host an unforgettable starry sky concert.
Heavenly voices echoed through the mountains, children chased colorful bubbles under radiant sunsets, and countless stars bore witness to the sprouting of dreams. Over a million people were impacted by the concert stream. As the performance concluded, a child held Wang Nan’s hand tightly and said with joy, “Teacher, I love singing with the big brothers and sisters!”
Moved by the children’s innocent faces and clear eyes, Wang Nan and her team are determined to return this year—to bring music farther, louder, and with even greater strength.
Wang Nan, initiator of the project and representative of PCAC, talks about her project. Photo by Yu Jing
Long Journey Home, Hand in Hand
Liang Yingying, from Tiandeng County in Chongzuo, Guangxi, shared her story of volunteering under the alias “Yu Sheng” for over 12 years. She witnessed the perseverance and tears of long-separated families and helped reunite more than 100 of them.
Liang once assisted a pair of siblings. The older sister, who is deaf and mute, took on the family’s responsibilities from a young age and supported her brother in becoming the first person in their village to graduate from university. After graduating, the brother wanted to repay her kindness, only to learn that she had gone missing.
During the 21 years of separation, the brother never stopped searching, and the sister constantly longed to return home. They turned to the Internet for help, but amidst the flood of information, their hopes were never realized. Fortunately, volunteer Liang Yingying found matching clues from two separate pieces of information.
At the reunion, everyone felt that love could bridge 21 years of separation and over 1,200 kilometers of mountains and rivers. When the sister walked shakily toward her brother, all the waiting and tears melted into a deep embrace.
At the Baby Come Home Volunteer Association, Liang has witnessed countless heartfelt reunions. However, many are still searching, and she hopes more people will join to help bring about more reunions, turning more longing and waiting into joy and happiness.
Liang Yingying, volunteer of the Baby Come Home Volunteer Association gives a speech at the launch event. Photo by Yu Jing
Dreams on the Football Field, Possibilities Beyond
Zhao Lina, initiator of a football-related charity project called Football Planet and former goalkeeper for the China Women’s National Football Team, describes herself as “an ordinary person wanting to help more children realize their football dreams.”
On the day of her official retirement, she launched “Football Planet,” sharing short videos on social media to raise funds and offering free live-streamed classes. Her goal was to level the playing field for children in remote areas, giving them more opportunities to experience football and creating a brighter future for Chinese football.
Zhao recalls a girl she met in Jiangxi, wearing a worn-out football jersey playing football with boys. The girl said, “I really like football; the boys in class can’t beat me. I love the thrill of scoring and the sense of camaraderie within the team.”
Later, Zhao learned from the teacher that the girl was the top student in her class and often helped her classmates with lessons. Before discovering football, she was very shy. Both of her parents had passed away from illness when she was young, and football became a source of joy and hope for her.
So far, Zhao’s project has built nine football fields, established 180 teams in 90 schools, helping children step out from behind screens and into the sunlight. Children often ask, “Sister Lina, if I start playing now, could I join the national team someday?” She replies, “Yes, as long as you persist, everything is possible.”
Zhao says, “Football may not directly change their fate, but when 8 or 9 people come together because of football, it creates infinite possibilities.” She’s determined to protect these kids’ football dreams because she believes that every child who shines on the football field will one day shine on their own stage.
Zhao Lina, initiator of a charity project called Football Planet and former goalkeeper for the China Women’s National Football Team shares her story on stage. Photo by Yu Jing
Digital Philanthropy, Limitless Good
The Boundless Digital Love Initiative selected 50 heartwarming stories about how digital philanthropy contributes to public well-being.
These real, tangible, and relatable experiences show that humans are at the crossroads of technology and humanity, witnessing an era full of possibilities, where digital technology not only transforms lifestyles but also spreads kindness more efficiently and warmly.
A decade ago, charity might have meant a bank transfer or offline activities. Today, with the Internet meeting charity, the picture is completely different: mobile networks enable “charity at your fingertips,” reaching hundreds of millions; social media brings stories of love to light, and a child’s smile in a short video can stir millions of tender hearts.
The essence of digital philanthropy isn’t about replacing humanity with technology, but amplifying kindness through it. When classrooms in remote villages access top-tier educational resources through 5G, when AI algorithms meet the needs of vulnerable groups, and when cloud computing provides a “digital lifeline” for disaster relief, the true power of technology is revealed—it serves humanity’s quest for a better life.
When charity takes digital form, it not only distributes resources but also creates a philanthropy ecosystem where everyone can get involved and its impact is felt far and wide. These 50 stories offer a chance to revisit these inspiring moments.