Shangai Daily news

French girl Chloe Chauvin puts her money into a donation box at the Moon River Diner, which raised nearly 40,000 yuan (US$4,819) for the tsunami-hit regions, over the weekend.

Monks donate money to victims of Asia's deadly tsunami at the Jade Buhhda Temple over the weekend.

The Asian tsunamis may not have physically touched Shanghai, but the disaster has struck an emotional chord among the city's expatriates, approximately 750 of whom turned up at a breakfast benefit for tsunami victims on Saturday.
The benefit, which was held simultaneously at three restaurants popular with the expatriate community - Moon River Diner, Blue Frog and KABB - came about when Greg Duerfeldt and Michael Gianini of the Moon River Diner and Bob Boyce, owner of KABB and Blue Frog, "wanted to reach out and do something to help," said Gianini.
Billed as a breakfast benefit, the event, which raised funds for the Shanghai Red Cross efforts to aid the tsunami victims, was born as a tangible way for the community to help.
Shanghai's expatriate community has lost Yew Chung International School teacher Phil Neame and the family of Reggie Shiu, senior vice president for Accor Asia - of the five-member family, only six-year-old daughter Zoe survived - and several others are still missing.
On what was, for many, the first weekend back in Shanghai after the tsunamis, gathering together to make sense of the tragedy and being able to respond with donations was a welcome relief.
"I think for many of us, it's very personal as we have all vacationed in Phuket - we know those beaches, we know that if we had made different choices, it could easily have been us," said American Julie Rozert, over waffles at Moon River Diner.
"We really appreciate the opportunity to talk about it, to get together, and to do something concrete," she said.
The Red Cross was not able to confirm the total amount raised by the benefit at press time, but Gianni estimates that Moon River Diner alone was able to raise close to 40,000 yuan (US$4,819).
"People were very generous," he said.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Film Center held a special screening yesterday to collect money for the tsunami victims.
The theater re-screened the Hollywood tragedy hit "The Day After Tomorrow" at its main branch and two of its chain cinemas across the city.
All the box office receipts from the screening will be donated to the Shanghai Charity Foundation to aid the tidal wave victims.
Five signed movie posters including "Kung Fu Hustle," "Deng Xiaoping in 1928" and "Silver Hawk" were sold during a charity auction before the screening, raising 3,800 yuan.
"I didn't have a budget before attending the auction," said Li Gaoxiang, who purchased a signed "Kung Fu Hustle" poster for 1,200 yuan. "I feel so happy to do so."