Fans give to worthy cause

Updated: 2014-08-09 07:54

(China Daily USA)

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On Aug 6, news broke that South Korean actor Lee Min-ho's Chinese fans had donated food and water in his name to earthquake victims in Yunnan province.

"I'm thankful and grateful that my fans help the earthquake victims with such love and kindness. I'm so proud of you," Lee wrote on micro blog Sina Weibo.

Shortly after the earthquake hit on Aug 3, one of Lee's self-organized fan groups, Lee Min-ho Snow Fan Support Station, decided to donate 20,000 yuan ($3,248) to buy disaster relief materials for people in the earthquake-hit area.

The money, raised by Lee's fans, was originally to support fan activities associated with the star's new movie, but upon hearing news of the disaster, the group decided it would be more meaningful to spend the money on helping earthquake victims, so as to "make a bridge of friendship out of love between different countries and areas", according to posts on the group's Sina Weibo.

The group organizers got in touch with a police station near the earthquake-hit area to help them purchase and distribute disaster relief materials, and a local fan volunteered to supervise the purchase and donation.

Fans give to worthy cause

A total of 300 boxes of instant noodles and 600 boxes of bottled mineral water were bought and transported to Ludian county in Zhaotong city.

On Aug 3, the fan group, which has nearly 30,000 followers on Sina Weibo, also decided to raise money through an online shop on Taobao.com, which is the largest online shopping platform in China. Lee is Taobao's first foreign celebrity ambassador.

By 10 pm on Aug 6, the group had raised 175,000 yuan.

Lee is not the only celebrity whose Chinese fans have donated to victims of earthquakes under his or her name.

In 2013, as actress Wan Qian's birthday on May 14 approached, her fans raised money to help with thes reconstruction of areas hit by an earthquake of 7 magnitude that jolted Lushan county, Ya'an City in Sichuan province on April 28.

Fans of singer Li Yuchun also donated more than 1 million yuan to victims of Ya'an, through the Yu Mi Love Foundation under the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, according to Chinese Philanthropist, a publication reporting on charity events and philanthropists in China.

Li's post thanking his fans received nearly 149,000 likes, 28,000 forwards and 41,151 comments.

China Daily

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