In celebration of the 30th World Book Day on April 23, JD.com’s philanthropic program, the Starlight Transmission, unveiled a comprehensive upgrade for 2025. This year, the initiative aims to further empower rural children by establishing Starlight Reading Corners, Starlight Charity Classes, Starlight Smart Classrooms, and a Starlight Advisory Panel. Together these efforts create a multidimensional support system to provide children access to quality books, inspire a love of reading, and develop lifelong reading habits.

Starlight Reading Corners: Ensuring Access to Books
To address the scarcity of age-appropriate books in rural areas, JD.com has launched a “Million-Yuan Book Donation Campaign” in partnership with JD Books, pledging high-quality books worth over RMB 1 million. Additionally, 7FRESH, JD’s omnichannel supermarket chain, will organize a “Books for Veggies” drive to encourage public participation, and JD Insurance will provide funding to support children’s reading. The program aims to set up 300 Starlight Reading Corners across 15 schools and 300 classrooms. Book selections will be curated by education experts and leading publishers, tailored to children’s developmental needs and interests.
Starlight Charity Classes & Smart Classrooms: Nurturing Reading Skills
Beyond offering access to books, the program is dedicated to cultivating reading skills and curiosity. Starlight Charity Classes will feature renowned authors and editors through interactive reading sessions online and offline. In collaboration with L’Oréal, JD.com will donate laptops, tablets, and e-learning tools to rural schools, enabling children to explore digital books, live courses, coding, and AI – broadening their intellectual horizons.
The first Starlight Charity Class premiered via livestream on April 23, featuring children’s author Liu Haixi and publisher Zhang Ziyi, who shared insights on fostering reading habits.
Starlight Advisory Panel: Maximizing Impact
To ensure lasting impact, JD.com will establish a Starlight Advisory Panel comprised of experts in child education and literacy.The panel will monitor progress, evaluate outcomes, and refine strategies to optimize the program’s impact. These experts will also assist in book selection, guaranteeing that every donation enriches young minds.
JD.com’s Legacy in Social Responsibility
JD.com has long championed social causes, from supporting 38 underprivileged children in Shanxi to disaster relief during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and ensuring COVID-19 supply chain efforts. In rural education, JD.com has donated 300,000 books and over RMB 1 million in educational supplies since 2018, benefiting 300+ schools. With the upgraded Starlight Transmission program, JD.com reaffirms its commitment to opening doors to more promising futures for rural children.
(vivian.yang@jd.com)