Over the past weeks, China has seen an increase in donations in large part due to extensive media coverage of the tsunami that swept through much of Southeast Asia and South Asia.
To this date, the Chinese public in both private and corporate circles have donated no less than $18 million disaster relief according to yesterday's Xinhua News report.
The money has poured in from all over the country. Shanghai, for example, has received non-government donations totaling more than 28 million yuan (US$3.4 million). Beijing alone has collected no less than 17 million yuan (US$2 million). The coastal provinces, such as Canton, reportedly collected 25 million yuan (US$ million).
Major domestic companies such as Sinopec Corporation, China Mobile, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Ping An Insurance Group and ABB China have collected donations totaling around 12 million yuan (US$1.5 million).
Lei Ding, founder of the Net Ease Corporation, has personally donated 1.2 million yuan.
Chinese celebrities from the movie and music industry have held two concerts to raise funds in Beijing.
The money collected so far, has been sent to the Red Cross Society of China and the China Charity Foundation.
Since December 26, the Chinese government has continually sent emergency supplies and medical teams to the nations of Sri Lanka and Indonesia since the areas were struck by the tsunami on December 2.
