Freerice Comes To China

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The viral quiz game that provides grains of rice to hungry children with every right answer is now available in Chinese. Developed by Chinese software company Shanda, the latest edition of Freerice China opens the game to millions of new players who can now test their wits while raising rice for the hungry. BEIJING - Chinese speakers worldwide can now improve their English skills and test their knowledge about art, chemistry and geography while helping to feed children by playing the new Chinese edition of Freerice (http://freerice.sdo.com). The fruit of a partnership between WFP and Chinese software company Shanda, FreeRice China is the fifth translation of the game which took the web by storm when it launched in English in 2007. Play Freerice in Chinese! Put your language skills to the test. Play Freerice in Chinese "Freerice has been a global phenomenon in English, French, Italian and Spanish and is now reaching a critical and influential part of the global population," said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships. "China has more internet users than any other country in the world - they are curious, ambitious and looking for ways to improve their mastery of English. No stranger Freerice China partner Shanda Games is no stranger to the fight against hunger, after helping WFP develop a Chinese version of its award-winning computer game Food Force in 2006. "We have always believed in the internet as a force for good," said Shanda President and CEO Tan Qunzhao. "Young people in particular are looking for games that entertain and educate at the same time." "Freerice not only does both - it also allows its players to contribute to the fight against hunger at the same time. We are delighted to be involved with such an innovative and worthwhile product, which has already been so successful in other languages." A simple game How does Freerice work? Players face increasingly difficult vocabulary questions and for every correct answer, they earn ten grains of rice, which is donated to WFP and paid for by advertisers on the site. Freerice is also an exciting and innovative social media tool, giving players the ability to create online groups with their relatives, friends and co-workers, taking vocabulary game play and interaction to a new level. Originally launched in English in 2007, Freerice.com became an instant viral phenomenon. In its first month, the game had raised enough rice to feed over 50,000 people for a day. Its designer, John Breen, says the programme started out as a simple word game to help his teenage sons prepare for their college entrance exams. Today, Freerice attracts 40,000 players daily (1.3 million per month) who take the fight against hunger online. They have raised almost 100 billion grains of rice, enough to feed 4.8 million people for a day in countries like Haiti, Uganda, Pakistan and Cambodia.