Abstract
The non-governmental foundations in China has sprouted in recent years since the promulgation of ‘The Regulation on the Management of Foundations’ in 2004, and many are funded and leaded by private entrepreneurs. Those Foundations are almost ‘non-public fundraising foundation’, and the number of those foundations has been growing very fast. Since there are very few literature that discuss the meaning of those changes, this study tries to provide some insights through state-society paradigm by analyzing Alxa SEE Ecological Association (SEE), a NGO funded by Chinese entrepreneurs. According to the findings of the study, entrepreneurs become the allies of the civil society in China through foundations. SEE is a civil society organization which has its autonomy relative to the government and enterprise, and it pursuits its own interest or value. The interaction between SEE and China is cooperative but independent, so that SEE could use the resources of entrepreneurs to improve the relationship between the communities and the local government, and to influence the action and policy in Alxa. SEE could also sponsor and empower the Environmental NGOs (ENGO), bridge the way between the government and ENGOs, and promote the development of the civil society. Because China has given entrepreneurs the right to initiate foundations, it’s predictable that entrepreneurs will fund other NGOs and will not cross the red line. However, it’s unintended that entrepreneurs become the allies of the civil society in China through foundations, and bridge the way between the government and ENGOs. In this way, it’s a surprise to an authoritarian regime which is trying to maintain the harmony of society.