On September 13, the 16th Beijing Hope Run, a charity run for cancer patients and cancer research, kicked off in Beijing’s Chaoyang Park.

Cui Li, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC); Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadian ambassador to China; Peng Yu, director-general of the Cancer Foundation of China (CFC); He Jie, head of the 16th Beijing Hope Run organizing committee and president of the CAMS Tumor Hospital, joined the launching ceremony. Dong Bisha, CPC chief of the CAMS Tumor Hospital, hosted the ceremony. Sa Beining, ambassador for the run and also a renowned TV presenter, hosted the donation ceremony.

In her speech, Cui Li extended her gratitude to the run's organizers and donors from all social communities. Cui said the Beijing Hope Run was a practical program designed to improve public health. With the consistent support of people over the past 16 years, the run has gained a strong force of inspiration and cohesiveness.

She went on to motivate people to hold a happy, science-based fitness idea and called for a healthy lifestyle.

In its 16 years of development, the Beijing Hope Run has raised more than 20 million yuan ($3.25 million) to support poverty-stricken cancer patients and cancer-prevention research in China. This year's Hope Run was organized by the CAMS Tumor Hospital and the CFC. It was co-sponsored by the embassy of Canada in China, the HR development center of the State General Administration of Sport, and the Health Bureau of Chaoyang District, Beijing.

More than 5,000 people from various social sectors took part in the run, including heads of organizers and co-organizers, Olympic gold medalists, college students, representatives of enterprises and public institutions, foreign friends, medical professionals, cancer survivors and many Beijing citizens.