With the end of January 2019 fast approaching, and with it, Chinese New Year just around the corner, it's time again to look back and remember personal achievements over the past 12 months as well as hopes and expectations for the year ahead. One association that has a lot to celebrate is the Beijing LGBT Center who marked their 10 year anniversary last Friday at the Embassy of Sweden.

It is without a doubt a huge landmark for the non-profit organization whose mere existence and tireless work with, and on behalf of, the LGBTQ+ community in China since 2008, has seen strides in a number of areas. Some of the group's biggest accomplishments include the building of international “sister-friendly” relationships which have helped bring to light the LGBT situation in China, inroads into the fight for marriage equality between same-sex Chinese couples, the setting up of counseling services for those individuals most at risk, as well as a hotline for transgender people.

At last week's function, Ying Xin, the center’s executive director, told the Beijinger that “persistence, community, and research” were the key guiding factors for the center over the last ten years. She added that she is extremely proud of the research that the center has completed on LGBT related issues such as mental health as well as transgender support. Read more via The Beijinger