Iranians donate blood in Guangzhou on traditional mourning day

A total of 150 Iranians living in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, donated their blood at Guangzhou Blood Center on Wednesday.

The event was held to commemorate the Day of Ashura, an Iranian religious mourning day, when blood donation is part of rituals, said Alireza Salarian, Iranian consul general in Guangzhou.

Salarian, who donated blood with his wife, said the event also marks the friendship between the two countries.

The first blood donating event organized by the Iranian Consulate General in Guangzhou took place in 2014, which saw 37 Iranians donate their blood.

Wang Chuanxi, deputy director of the blood center, welcomed the donations as helping with the blood supply in Guangzhou and signifying the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Caucasians have a higher chance of carrying the rare blood type of Rh-negative than Chinese, he said.

About 100 tons of blood is needed a year in Guangzhou, which houses many large hospitals, Wang said, adding that about 1,500 blood donors are needed in Guangzhou every day.