In this aerial drone photo, tents for earthquake-affected residents are pictured at a village in Lhaze County of Xigaze, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, January 7, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese and global companies, as well as people from all walks of life have donated money and goods to support the earthquake relief efforts and help disaster-affected people in Dingri county, Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, which was jolted by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.

Tencent Charity Foundation on Tuesday announced the initiation of the first batch of donations amounting to 20 million yuan ($2.7 million), aimed at emergency rescue and temporary resettlement in disaster-stricken areas, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, as well as work-for-relief programs.

Mixue on Wednesday announced a donation of 10 million yuan to earthquake-affected areas. Mixue said it has organized all stores in Xigaze to buy instant noodles, mineral water and other supplies to support the rescue team. All Mixue stores in Xizang will also provide free hot water and rest areas for everyone, and free hot drinks for rescue teams.

Other companies, including but not limited to BYD (10 million yuan), Ant Group (5 million yuan), and Xiaomi (1 million yuan), have also donated money to the earthquake-affected areas.

Several companies have donated goods, including clothes, food and medicines, to support earthquake relief work.

Sinopharm Group on Tuesday sent 3,230 bottles (boxes) of medicines, including human blood albumin, antibiotic injections and respiratory drugs, to Xigaze through the cold chain transport.

ERKE donated supplies worth 10 million yuan to provide warmth and protection for those affected by the earthquake. The first batch of donated materials has been sent to the disaster area, ERKE said on Tuesday in a statement.

Other companies, such as Bosideng, Anta and Xtep donated clothing worth 10 million yuan to disaster-stricken areas in Xizang, as seen by the Global Times.

Alibaba has donated the first batch of 100,000 instant food products to Xizang. NetEase has donated goods such as quilts, folding beds and instant food products worth 8 million yuan. Panpan Foods has sent bread and mineral water to Xizang. 

Apart from goods and money, companies also provided high-tech services to support earthquake relief efforts. 

ByteDance on Tuesday said it will collaborate with media, organizations and rescue teams to launch a victim search function on its public welfare platform, in addition to donating 5 million yuan for earthquake relief efforts.

E-commerce platform JD.com allocated drinking water, food, clothing, tents, emergency power supplies and other urgently needed supplies from warehouses near the earthquake-affected areas. JD Logistics, its subsidiary, had transported these supplies to the disaster-stricken areas with dedicated personnel and vehicles, the company said on its WeChat.

Global companies also lent a hand to support earthquake relief work.

Nestle has raised nearly 5 million yuan worth of materials and cash to support the earthquake relief work in Xizang, of which 1 million yuan will be used for the procurement of emergency relief supplies, transitional resettlement and post-disaster reconstruction, Nestle said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

Besides, Nestle, together with its six major brands, has dispatched ready-to-eat food supplies to the earthquake-hit areas in Xizang to provide emergency needs for people.

Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday announced that coal, coal stoves and other supporting supplies to provide warmth have been dispatched from Xigaze to Dingri county and surrounding areas on Wednesday afternoon, the company said.

The first batch of emergency supplies such as quilts, food and gloves collected by Mercedes-Benz's dealer partner have been sent to Dingri on Wednesday.

BMW donated 3 million yuan for emergency relief, post-disaster school reconstruction and other related work.

Uniqlo announced on Wednesday that it donated warm clothing worth about 10 million yuan to the earthquake-affected zone.

Apple CEO Tim Cook posted on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo at noon on Wednesday, saying "our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating earthquake in Ding'ri. Apple is donating to support the ongoing earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts on the ground." 

In addition to corporate contributions, individuals from all walks of life also extended their support to disaster-stricken areas.

As of 3 pm on Wednesday, about 760,000 people have donated more than 12 million yuan designated to support Xigaze earthquake relief on Alipay's welfare platform.

As of 1 pm on Wednesday, 58 cultural and sports figures contributed 11.18 million yuan to the Han Hong Love Charity Foundation initiated by Chinese singer Han Hong, the foundation said on its Sina Weibo. 

Among the donors, Chinese filmmaker Jia Ling donated supplies in her mother's name Li Huanying, the foundation said at a post on Tuesday. Jia directed and starred in Chinese comedy drama Hi, Mom, which also named Hello, Li Huanying.

Moreover, China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen has donated 1 million yuan to support earthquake relief efforts in Xigaze, the China Foundation for Rural Development announced on Wednesday.

Chinese Relief & Development Foundation said on Tuesday that it has coordinated supplies to support five rescue teams working on the front lines to assist the local disaster relief work. The foundation also listed 23 celebrities who provided funds.

According to official statistics, as of 10 am on Wednesday, the Dingri earthquake has killed 126 people and injured 188. So far, 407 people trapped have been rescued.

Global Times