'Today, We Are All Sichuan People'

BEIJING, May 14, 2008 — -- China's Olympic gymnastic team contributed money. So did the national ping pong team. They were joined by thousands of Chinese citizens who answered calls for help on the radio, TV, text messaging and the Internet.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs authorized the Red Cross Society of China and China Charity Federation to receive donations for damaged areas. The Red Cross is coordinating its efforts with Sina.com, one of China's most popular Web portals.

Within less than 36 hours of the earthquake, the Red Cross had received more than $17 million in contributions.

Private companies, universities and nongovernmental organizations have set up relief funds and collection centers to respond to the critical need for supplies and financial support.

On Tuesday, the China Foundation for Human Rights Development urged the public to contribute funds as soon as possible and forwarded $70,000 worth of clothing, tents and other supplies to hard-hit Sichuan.

In the spirit of the fast-approaching Beijing Olympics, the 2008 Chinese national gymnastics team has committed $142,800 to earthquake victims, said Gao Jian, director of the Chinese Gymnastics Administration Center.

Today, China's national table tennis team donated about $143,000 to the earthquake region.

"We've been following closely the latest news about the earthquake, and we are pain[ed] to hear about the extensive damage, injury and loss of lives," said Ding Ning, one of the youngest players on the national team.

"Our team members decided to donate … to show our concern and best wishes for [earthquake victims]. We hope things would get better as soon as possible," Ding said to the Xinhua state news agency.