This year, along with Beijing, three other cities - Wuhan, Suzhou, Dalian - will join this charity relay. Later, Shanghai, Harbin, Jinan, Nanjing, Nanning, Tianjin and Guangzhou will hold McHappy Run, which will make the total number of event cities and participants this year reach a new high.

The total number of participants has climbed from 8,000 in 2014 to 45,000 this year. Over the past six years, more than 200,000 people have participated in the event, covering a total of about 580,000 kilometers, equivalent to 14 laps around the equator.

Phyllis Cheung, CEO of McDonald's China, said "We hope that with the support of all walks of life, China Ronald McDonald House Charities will be able to open more Ronald McDonald Houses in China in the future."

Tang Jiuhong, deputy secretary general of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, said: "We believe that companionship is the best medicine. I hope that with the joint efforts of all of you, Ronald McDonald House can serve more families of children patients!"

The first "Ronald McDonald House" in Chinese mainland in Changsha, Hunan, in January 2016. With only five minutes' walk from Hunan Children's Hospital, it includes 17 family suites with complete facilities. It has provided 18,000 nights of free accommodation and care for over 500 families by the end of July 2019.