Spring opens a new journey, and cultural lineage continues. In order to deeply cultivate the inheritance of the culture of Zengzi, the Ancestral Sage, standardize the construction and development of the research association, innovate a new model of clan members working together for development, and pool strength to build a co-built and shared platform for clan culture and business development, the Zhaoqing Zengzi Culture Research Association successfully held its first council meeting of 2026. Presidents, council members, and all clan colleagues of the research association gathered together to renew clan ties, discuss development, and plan a new chapter.
At the beginning of the meeting, the research association reviewed and summarized the work results of the past year. For a long time, the research association has deeply cultivated the excellent traditional culture of Zengzi, adhered to the core family tradition concept of "self-reflection three times a day, filial piety, forgiveness, loyalty, and trustworthiness, cultivating oneself and regulating the family," and solidly carried out work in clan liaison, doing good and supporting education, and uniting local worthies. It has steadily consolidated the foundation for the research association's development. All work has been implemented in an orderly manner with remarkable results, which would not have been possible without the concerted efforts and strong support of all council members and clan colleagues.
At the meeting, it was made clear that 2026 is a key year of tackling hard tasks for the research association to transform and upgrade, make the platform substantive, strengthen the brand, and innovate the mode of running the association. This year, the research association will abandon formalistic work, focus on practical implementation, and deploy seven core key tasks to comprehensively promote the standardized, substantive, regularized, and sustainable development of the research association.
In terms of deepening cultural inheritance, the research association will regularly carry out family tradition lectures, cultural learning, and exchange seminars, deeply explore the cultural connotations of Zengzi's loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and trustworthiness, integrate Zhaoqing's local regional characteristics, tell the cultural story of the Zeng clan in Zhaoqing well, and let the thousand-year family tradition and cultural lineage take root, nourish people's hearts, and enhance the cultural cohesion and sense of belonging of the clan community.
In terms of organizational base construction, the research association benchmarks advanced experience in running associations, draws on the mature development model of the Guangzhou Sihui Chamber of Commerce, and precisely taps into the strength of Zeng entrepreneurs in various places who are responsible, caring, and willing to inherit traditional culture. At the same time, it comprehensively lays out physical bases in all districts and counties of Zhaoqing, plans to set up standardized Zeng chamber of commerce offices and county-level activity rooms, and implements unified plaque granting, unified standards, and unified management. It selects high-quality clan entrepreneurs to serve as site leaders, equips them with a full set of facilities including fixed office space, standard meeting rooms, reception dining rooms, and supporting bathrooms, so that clan fellowship, business exchange, and visitor reception have bases and platforms, and Zeng clan members in various places have their own exclusive "Clan Home."
In terms of innovation in the mode of running the association, the research association officially implements a new development model of "supporting the association through business and promoting business through the association." It adheres to the original aspiration of non-profit public welfare, relies on physical bases across counties, and regularly carries out enterprise matchmaking, resource interconnection, local worthy seminars, business fellowship, and other activities. It unites people through culture and empowers enterprises through the platform, promotes clan enterprises to work together, help one another, share resources, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, feeds business vitality back into cultural and public welfare undertakings, and achieves two-way empowerment between cultural inheritance and industrial development.
This meeting launched an annual major heartwarming reform. In line with the current economic situation, it innovates the traditional membership fee collection model and replaces the single cash membership fee system with a dual-combination model of "voluntary resource donation + cash payment." In response to the current situation of high operating pressure on enterprises, it abolishes one-size-fits-all and forced apportionment payment methods. Member enterprises' products and materials, venue resources, reception services, high-quality channels, etc. can all be valued and discounted to offset membership fees. All voluntarily donated resources shall be uniformly registered, managed with ledgers, publicly announced, and have transparent accounts, and can be invoiced and recorded in compliance. This effectively reduces the cash pressure on clan entrepreneurs, activates idle resources, and achieves a new pattern of "acting according to one's ability, each displaying one's strengths, everyone running the association, and resources prospering the association," greatly enhancing members' sense of participation and honor.
In addition, the research association made it clear that it will continue to substantively carry out clan services and public welfare development. Relying on county-level bases, it will deepen clan visits and fellowship exchanges, unite clan members old and young, bring together local worthies from all walks of life, and practice the clan spirit of blood ties and mutual assistance. At the same time, it adheres to the original aspiration of public welfare, continues to carry out public welfare activities such as rewarding teaching and supporting students, respecting the elderly and helping the needy, and compassionate assistance, and inherits Zengzi's virtues of benevolence, love, filial piety, and fraternal duty. It simultaneously improves systems for council management, finance, materials, member contributions, etc., adheres to running the association according to rules, transparently, and honestly, and consolidates the foundation for organizational development.
This meeting specially invited Zeng Guosen, President of the Guangzhou Sihui Chamber of Commerce, and Lian Feilong, Vice President, and their delegation to visit the site and share advanced experience in governing, building, and prospering the association, providing valuable reference for the standardized construction and substantive layout of the Zhaoqing Zengzi Culture Research Association.
The meeting summary pointed out that in the past, the research association developed steadily relying on clan sentiment. In 2026, it will fully shift to running the association by mechanisms, establishing it by platforms, prospering it by resources, and sustaining it by industry. All Zeng clan members will take as the main theme "benchmarking the advanced, taking root in counties, substantiating bases, innovating systems, participating with light burdens, and achieving win-win through working together." With one heart and one mind, pooling wisdom and strength, they will deeply cultivate Zengzi's cultural lineage, unite clan strength, strengthen the service platform, and jointly create a win-win future, letting Zengzi's excellent traditional culture take root in Zhaoqing and be reborn, and contributing greater strength to the clan cause and local cultural development.
Finally, the meeting successfully completed all agenda items and achieved good results, pointing out the direction, building consensus, and consolidating the foundation for the high-quality implementation of the research association's various work in 2026.