The fifth anniversary charity story exhibition of the Beijing Ronald McDonald House officially opened on September 5th at the Beijing Fangyuanli ID MALL shopping center.
As a long-term support partner of Ronald McDonald House Charities, McDonald's China supported the exhibition's launch and extended the fifth-anniversary themed interactive activities to ten designated McDonald's restaurants in Beijing, connecting public welfare promotion scenarios between shopping districts and offline stores.
The anniversary exhibition centers on real stories from the past five years at the Beijing Ronald McDonald House, presenting the daily lives of families staying together through photographs, written accounts, and story fragments. It also documents the dedicated efforts of staff, volunteers, and community participants, allowing the public to directly perceive the true circumstances of families seeking medical treatment away from home and the tangible outcomes of the charity project.
The Beijing Ronald McDonald House was officially opened on September 9, 2021. Funded by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation Ronald McDonald House Charities Fund and operated in cooperation with the National Center for Children's Health and Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, its core mission is to provide nearby accommodation and daily living support for families of children receiving medical treatment in Beijing from other regions.
As of the end of June 2026, the Beijing Ronald McDonald House has served approximately 450 families of children receiving medical treatment away from home, provided more than 15,000 restful nights of sleep, and hosted over 900 volunteer service sessions. The stable housing and living amenities allow family members to stay by the child's side throughout the treatment period, while also creating a platform for emotional connection among different families, enabling mutual exchange and collective support.
Looking at the national project layout, a decade ago, with the support of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, the first Ronald McDonald House in mainland China opened in Changsha. The charity's protection has since extended to Shanghai and was established in Beijing in 2021. Over the past five years, the Beijing Ronald McDonald House has served families from 29 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions nationwide, benefiting families of Uyghur, Tibetan, Miao, and other ethnic groups. Some former beneficiaries have grown up to become volunteers, giving back to the project and forming a positive cycle of love and care.
Regarding future development plans, Gu Lei, co-director of the Management Committee of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation Ronald McDonald House Charities Fund and Chief Impact Officer of McDonald's China, stated that the project will advance along two dimensions: expansion and enhancement. In terms of project expansion, the principle of maintaining deep collaboration with top children's hospitals will guide site selection, with new Ronald McDonald Houses to be established when conditions are favorable. Currently, internal management upgrades and service experience consolidation are underway, with coordinated efforts across the three existing locations to improve overall service capabilities and prepare for future nationwide expansion.
Regarding service enhancement, the project will continue to research the real needs of families with children receiving medical treatment, enriching emotional support offerings beyond basic accommodation services. Additionally, leveraging McDonald's brand influence will help more of the public recognize the needs of these families and rally greater social support from all sectors.