Abstract
This study explores the discursive construction of educational philanthropy in China through the Maitian Program, a grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on rural education. Drawing on the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA), the research integrates topic modeling and semi-structured interviews to analyze how language constructs values, social roles, and legitimizes practices. Findings reveal a hybrid discourse formed by institutional texts and volunteer narratives, with strategies of nomination, predication, and argumentation. Maitian emphasizes emotional care, relational equity, and long-term empowerment, framing children as cultural inheritors and volunteers as civic actors. While highlighting positive ethical and pedagogical contributions, the discourse selectively emphasizes desirable outcomes, with limited visibility of structural constraints and the perspectives of children and families. The study highlights four discursive shifts in line with broader socio-political changes: from resource redistribution to access equity, from poverty alleviation to holistic development, from charity to relational ethics, and from individual aid to generational empowerment. This discourse offers a culturally grounded alternative to Western NGO models, illustrating both opportunities and potential limitations in replicating such approaches across diverse contexts, and contributes to discussions on ethical, participatory, and sustainable public engagement.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mr. Hu Hailong for providing information and helping contact the team of the Maitian Program, and also express gratitude to the Maitian Program’s founder Mo Fan and regional leader Zhu Wenjun for providing valuable insights for this research.
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The two authors made equal contributions to the writing process. They decided on the topic, subjects and methodology together. Zhu Yiliong collected data and made the majority of the first draft, while Dong Fangfeng contacted the research subjects and supervised the writing process, and made major revisions to the draft. Both authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Dong, F., Zhu, Y. A discourse-historical analysis of philanthropic legitimacy construction in rural China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07122-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07122-1
