The Red Cross Society of China organized blood donations Saturday in Beijing, calling upon the public to donate, as China's hospitals cope with a severe blood supply shortage.

The blood drive was hosted by Beijing Jiaotong University, and over 300 college teachers and students from more than 20 universities in Beijing registered to donate blood.

Wang Haijing, vice director of the Red Cross Society of China, took the lead by personally donating blood.

Wang said China has few regular blood donors, resulting in unstable blood storage and frequent blood supply emergencies, calling on more people to donate regularly.

The recent blood shortage also prompted China's health minister, Chen Zhu, to donate blood, as an example, on Oct. 29, one day after the Chinese Red Cross Society made an urgent appeal for donations.

The Chinese demand for blood has grown 10 to 15 percent annually in recent years, according to statistics from the Health Ministry.

However, only 84 out of every 10,000 people donate blood in China, far less than the 454 out of every 10,000 people in high-income countries and 101 in middle-income countries.

The minister said the main source of donated blood in China was college students and migrant workers, which accounted for 60 percent of total donors, while only 40 percent was provided by local residents.

Last year, more than 11 million people donated blood in China, according to the Health Ministry.