This project will explore the rise of humanitarianism in 21^st century China as a late capitalist technology of ethical imagination. The approach adopted will be ethnographic. Research will focus on the activities of two major non‐governmental organizations including a leading online charity platform and an international service club operating in the region of South China. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between ethical subjectivities, technological infrastructures, and political economy. Theoretically, the project joins recent efforts in the humanities and social sciences to emphasize the increasing importance of ethical regimes of charitable giving in the formation of contemporary subjects and in the legitimation of mounting social inequalities.