Rachel Hou/ Shanghai Daily news

The national swimming stadium received 157 million yuan (US$20.26 million) in donations yesterday from overseas Chinese, raising the total donation sum to 730 million yuan, China News Service reported today.

More than 330,000 overseas Chinese from 87 countries and regions have donated money to the major sports venue for the Beijing Olympics via a Beijing-backed fund established in July 2003.

The National Aquatic Center, more widely known as the "Water Cube," will host Olympic swimming and diving events and be put into use in October.

It is a joint design of China State Construction and an architecture company from Australia.

The 2.4 billion cubic meter stadium has more than 3,000 air cells, which each use double film technology to ensure the indoor temperature, brightness and sound quality.