By noon Wednesday,?the China Red
Cross had received more than 41 million yuan (US$5.0 million)
in donations from across the nation for tsunami victims.
On Tuesday, computer giant Lenovo gave 4.1 million yuan
(US$500,000), the largest single contribution on the mainland at
the time. But it was quickly outdone by the China Buddhism
Association with an offering of 9.9 million yuan (US$1.2 million)
and the Cosco Group with an even 10 million yuan (US$1.2
million).
The Red Cross opened its 24-hour tsunami aid hotline on January
1, and the lines have been swamped.
"We had more than 1,800 calls by 5 PM Tuesday," said telephone
operator Yu Liying.
Also on Tuesday, the Red Cross launched a charity drive and
picture exhibition sponsored by the Modern Media Group and SOHO
China Ltd.
Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, co-CEOs of the SOHO China property
development company, chipped in one million yuan (US$120,000).
Donors have also been flocking to the China Charity
Federation, an agency authorized by the central government to
accept aid for the victims of the December 26 disaster.
Yang Zhi, 74, a retired civil servant, rode the bus for more
than two hours from his home in northern Beijing to donate 500 yuan
(US$60). "We couldn't find a donation site in our community until I
learned from TV yesterday that the federation accepts donations."
Yang said.
Living on a pension of just over 2,000 yuan (US$241) a month,
Yang said he wanted to provide a helping hand to the needy.
The donors also included five-month-old Zhang Kexin, whose
mother, Yao Liwen, contributed 500 yuan (US$60) on her behalf. Yao,
from central China's Hubei
Province, said she will keep the donation receipt to teach her
daughter the meaning of giving to those in need.
In Shanghai, the local Red Cross office had received 1.5 million
yuan (US$176,000) by 5:00 PM Tuesday, while the Shanghai Charity
Foundation had collected 1.3 million (US$151,000).
"All our donations will be finally sent through the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,"
said Xiong Fangjie, executive vice president of the Shanghai Red
Cross.
Xiong said they expected more donations from organizations and
enterprises that had been on their New Year holidays.
Ma Zhongqi of the Shanghai Charity Foundation said, "Many local
companies and organizations, including the Shanghai Dazhong Taxi
Company Ltd and the Jade Buddha Temple, have called us today to say
they will be making contributions."
In the first hour after a collection box was placed in the lobby
of Shanghai's municipal administration building on Tuesday, people
deposited more than 60,000 yuan (US$7,200).
(China.org.cn, China Daily January 5, 2005)
