15-years of helping each other

Fifteen years ago, the world witnessed the historical moment when Hong Kong returned to China. During the past decade and a half, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland have both experienced hard times and helped each other overcome their difficulties.

1. Sichuan and Qinghai quake victims

Artists perform to raise funds for earthquake victims in Sichuan province, May 2008. [File photo/Xinhua]

For Sichuan earthquake victims

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government vowed to provide an emergency appropriation fund of 300 million HK dollars ($38.46 million) for the quake victims in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, while the Hong Kong community actively made voluntary donations to the disaster areas.

People from different circles of Hong Kong and Macao have also donated nearly 200 million HK dollars, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on May 13, 2008.

The Hong Kong government also sent a professional rescue and relief team to the quake-hit areas.

The Li Ka Shing foundation donated 30 million HK dollars ($3.85 million) to help earthquake victims and for the reconstruction of schools. Li Ka Shing, a local legend and a world famous tycoon, said the act of God is unexpected, but human beings can decide to help each other.

The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited ("BOCHK") on May 13, 2008 took the lead by donating three million HK dollars ($385,158) to the Hong Kong Red Cross to assist victims in the afflicted areas. It also appealed to its 13,500 staff, including those from its subsidiaries, Nanyang Commercial Bank Limited, Chiyu Banking Corporation Limited, BOC Credit Card (International) Limited, BOC Group Life Assurance Company Limited and Nanyang Commercial Bank (China) Limited, to join the donation activity.

Oxfam Hong Kong allocated 12 million HK dollars ($1. 55 million) for emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It is also contacted local government agencies and community organizations in affected areas to coordinate the emergency response. Oxfam colleagues based in Yunnan Province travelled to Wenchuan county in Sichuan Province, the epicenter of the quake, to assist in relief work.

World Vision Hong Kong, a humanitarian organization, initially committed three million HK dollars ($385,158) for relief efforts. Its local staff in Sichuan will distributed 7,000 quilts and 150 tents to the victims. A team of relief workers also rushed to the hardest-hit areas to help distribute food and drinking water. Meanwhile, the organization also put staff from the neighboring provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Yunnan and Guizhou on stand by.

For Qinghai quake victims

Social communities and individuals in Hong Kong on May 13, 2008, continued to make donations for quake-affected people in northwestern China's Qinghai Province with about 20 million HK dollars added to the total amount.

Timothy Fok, representing the foundation named after his father, legendary patriotic entrepreneur Fok Ying Tung, handed over a five million HK dollar check to a senior official of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong.

Fok expressed sympathy with the earthquake victims and hoped the donation could help compatriots in Yushu to overcome difficulties and rebuild their homes.

Social communities and individuals, including charity organization Po Leung Kuk and Friends of Hong Kong Association, also made donations of amounting to more than 13 million HK dollars.

Continuous donations from Hong Kong citizens showed their care and love toward the victims in the quake-hit area ,said Li Guikang, deputy head of the Liaison Office.

A 7.1-magnitude quake struck the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in Southern Qinghai on April 14, leaving more than 2,600 people dead and injuring more than 12,000.

2. Donations to drought relief in SW China

The Hong Kong government approved a grant of 1.38 million HK dollars (about $177,082) from the Hong Kong Disaster Relief Fund to the Amity Foundation to undertake a relief project for drought victims in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in the Chinese mainland.

Announcing the grant, a government spokesman said the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee hoped the grant would help provide relief to the drought victims in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the relief agency has been asked to submit an evaluation report and audited account on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed," the spokesman said.

The relief fund was established in 1993 for emergency disaster relief in places outside Hong Kong, as well as advising on specific amounts to specific recipients and monitoring the use of grants.

3. Donation to Zhouqu in 2010

Hong Kong's leading business association, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), donated HK$1 million ($128,700) to the mudslide-devastated county of Zhouqu in northwest China's Gansu province.

CGCC Chairman Jonathan Choi handed over the donation check to Huang Lanfa, deputy head of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong.

Choi said he felt sorrow and sympathy with the victims in Zhouqu, and hoped that they could rebuild their homeland soon. Huang expressed gratitude to Hong Kong's organizations and communities for their support to mudslides-affected people.

Also, CGCC vice Chairman David Fong, who is also managing director of Hong Kong's Hip Shing Hong Group, donated HK$100, 000 to Zhouqu via the Liaison Office.

Rain-triggered mudslides swept through Zhouqu,in August 2010 leaving at least 1,144 people dead, with 600 missing.