The Hindu : International : Rich, poor dig deep in China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 06, 2005

International

International

Rich, poor dig deep in China

BEIJING, JAN. 5. At the Chinese Red Cross, volunteer Zhao Zhengang's phone rang non-stop with more than 1,500 calls from people wanting to donate money for survivors of southern Asia's deadly earthquake and tsunamis.

The calls came not just from China's newly rich entrepreneurs, but from pensioners, children and migrant workers, said Zhao.

The outpouring of private aid — as blanket coverage by state media shows victims' suffering — is unprecedented. ``We all live in the same world and our economic situation is better now than it was, and our standard of living has improved, so now is the time,'' Zhao said.

Beijing initially pledged $2.6 million, which it later raised. The Chinese Red Cross says it has collected at least $3 million in cash and pledges — a significant sum in a country where the average person lives on less than $1,000 a year.

``Such an outpouring of support from the public is phenomenal,'' said John Sparrow, a spokesman for the Beijing office of the International Red Cross. China has sent medical teams, emergency supplies and food to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Many ordinary Chinese seem to be giving beyond their means. Mo Yizhen, a 6-year-old in Liaoning province, gave 178 yuan in coins that he'd saved for three years. ``The schools were washed out there and I hope the money could help the children there go back to school again,'' Mo said. — AP

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