A number of generous donors bought high-priced tables for a charity banquet Sunday in Hangzhou, capital city of eastern China's Zhejiang Province to raise money for local impoverished families.
The cost for each table was 20,000 yuan (US$2,400). The total 290,000 yuan (US$35,000) collected from the dinner will go to the City Charity Federation.
Local media came up with the idea, aiming to provide financial aid and holiday cheer to poor families.
The fourteen banquet tables, filled with simple dishes, were booked within a week, the sponsors said, adding that the buyers were individuals as well as corporations.
(December 24, 2001)
