Bombarded with devastating TV images of tsunami-ravaged South and Southeast Asian countries and a rising death toll, Zhou Jin, 78, rushed to a donation center in Beijing on Saturday and left 1,800 yuan (US$217).
"I am too old to have many expenses. Here is the cash I have with me. Take it and make use of it for the needy there," Zhou told civil affairs official Zhang Ye. When asked about why she gave away all her cash, Zhou said she was not fishing for fame. "The catastrophe has left me in low spirits for so many days. I wish I could do something and here comes the chance."
Since the donation center in the Yuetan neighborhood was set up on Friday morning, more than 13,000 yuan has been received. Many of the donors are retired people who happened to pass by the center while shopping and exercising.
An old lady in a gray overcoat with a shopping basket in hand said, "Why don't you advise us about the donation drive beforehand? If I didn't come by, I'd have missed the chance."
Zhang, who's in charge of the civil affairs of the Yuetan neighborhood, apologized to her, saying this donation drive was indeed started in a rush.
"We didn't knock people's doors to mobilize them, or even print flyers or posters. We hope people will come at their own will and it turns out to be pretty encouraging," she said.
So far, the All-China Youth Federation and the Chinese Juveniles Development Foundation have donated 1 million yuan to young people in disaster-hit areas, while the All-China Federation of Trade Unions have sent over 3 million yuan to union organizations in tsunami-ravaged countries.
Tcl group, a domestic electronics manufacturer, donated 3 million yuan while the Huawei Company gave Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh communication equipment worth US$500,000 each to support their post-disaster construction.
Wang xiaohua of the Red Cross Society of China said the Chinese people are very active to join in this donation drive targeting foreign needy.