[The RCSC donation hotline is (8610)64027620 or (8610) 65139999, and the renminbi donation account is020 0001 0090 1441 3252. On-line donations are being acceptedat www.redcross.org.cn.]

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) had received almost 60million yuan (about US$8.35 million) donations, RCSC sources saidon Wednesday.

The donations to the red cross headquarters were 31.246 millionyuan (about US$4.35 million) and 28.28 million yuan (about US$3.94million) to local branches.

All the donations are now being sent to the snow-hit areas byall means, the sources said.

From Sunday, vice president of the society Jiang Yiman, SuJuxiang and Guo Changjiang went, respectively, to Hunan, Anhui,Guizhou and Hubei provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region todistribute donations.

A voluntary Chinese traditional opera performance was also heldTuesday to raise funds for the disaster-hit areas.

The RCSC has called on the public to donate cash and necessaryitems for those in the snow-hit areas of central, east and southChina, as well as the remote poverty-stricken areas.

The RCSC said in its appeal that disaster areas urgently needfood, medicine, quilts, winter coats and other supplies. Cashdonations would be encouraged because of limited transportationamid the snow.

The RCSC has provided eight million yuan (one million dollars)worth of donations, including food, medicine, cotton-padded tentsand more than 86,300 coats and quilts to support relief work in theworst-hit areas.

The society also urged its branches to start the donation andrelief work immediately. The RCSC donation hotline is (010)64027620 or (010) 65139999, and the renminbi donation account is020 0001 0090 1441 3252. On-line donations are being accepted at www.redcross.org.cn.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2008)