The sale was a new experience for most children, he said. "The most successful little fundraiser sold a newspaper carrying photos of the quake scene for 100 yuan. While many others sold tape recorders and more expensive items for only 5 yuan."

The test was not in the amount they collected, but in the opportunity they were given to step into society, feel the love and care from complete strangers and pass on the same to the needy people, said Zuo, a former preschool teacher who founded the outdoor club for children in 2002.

The 8.0-magnitude quake hitting Sichuan and some neighboring provinces on May 12 has killed nearly 69,000 people and another 18,618 remain missing.

The worst natural disaster to hit China in more than three decades has prompted humanitarian feelings among the Chinese and nearly everyone, including children, has reached out to help.

Across China, children emptied their coin banks and donated every cent to the quake zones.

Without any pocket money, a 14-year-old schoolgirl in the eastern Anhui Province sold her waist-long hair to a wig maker and donated the 105 yuan she got. "I just wanted to help. It's painful to see those homeless people," said Yue Jingwen, who studies at a vocational school in Fuyang City.

CHILDREN'S DAY WITHOUT GIFTS

Chen Yuhou, a primary school student in the eastern Zhejiang Province, has told his parents not to buy him any gifts for Children's Day, the June 1 holiday for Chinese children under 14 years old.

"I want to save the money for my peers in the quake-hit areas of Sichuan," he said.

No gift, no theater, no more trips to amusement parks. Yu and his classmates have pledged.