The carnage wrought by Typhoon Matsa has prompted at least one businessman to give more to charity.

Bai Qinghua, chairman of a Shanghai tour company, saw the typhoon rip through the city and surrounding areas last weekend.

As a result, Bai's company, the Easy Business Travel Co Ltd, has teamed up with the China Charity Federation.

In the coming three years, Bai's company and its 20-plus branches nationwide will donate one yuan (12 US cents) for each air ticket or hotel reservation it sells.

Domestic enterprises have previously come under fire for their hesitation to donate to charity.

Statistics from the China Charity Federation indicate that more than 70 percent of the funding it obtains is from overseas donors while less than 15 percent is from domestic enterprises.

More than 10 percent of China's population of 1.3 billion need social aid, the federation said.

Poor public awareness of charity, a shortage of legislation and a lack of recognition for corporate giving are the factors holding domestic entrepreneurs back from giving more, said Deng Tongshan, a senior advisor for the federation. "We hope more and more enterprises will support the nation's charities, helping more and more needy people," he said.

(China Daily August 10, 2005)