By Erik Nilsson (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-19 09:59

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Southwest China a week ago also jolted the collective conscience of China's international community. "It doesn't matter if you're foreign or Chinese," says Briton Jenny Niven, from the expat-oriented bookstore The Bookworm.

"People have a sense of loyalty to the country whether they've been here for a short or a long time and whether they were born here or not."

A boy carries relief materials to the benefit event held by The Bookworm in Chengdu. [China Daily]

The Bookworm is one of many expat centers collecting donations for quake victims and everybody from rockers to CEOs are heeding the call to action.

The Bookworm's Beijing, Suzhou and Chengdu branches have received donations from the foreign community for items recommended by the Chinese Red Cross, such as tents, dried food, practical clothes, quilts, emergency blankets, water and medicine.

The Bookworm's British co-owner Alex Pearson says although expats live in China, "if we were living in any other country, I would think we'd do the same".

Managing web editor for thebeijinger.com Paul Pennay, who has been compiling fundraising event information on the website's blog, said many expats were very active in raising money for the suffering people of Sichuan.

"Just looking at my inbox, a lot of people have been sending info around to their friends and colleagues about ways to contribute," he says.

"Because everyone in Beijing and around China felt the earthquake, I think people feel more a part of it and are looking for ways to contribute, both expats and Chinese."

Briton Richard Todd, who has lived in China for 12 years and plays in rock band RandomK(e) in Beijing, was compelled to take action after seeing the devastation on TV.

"One of the images I saw was a girl trying to crawl out from under a collapsed school, and the photograph had a lot of power over me because of the immediacy of the image," Todd says.

His band later held a benefit show at MAO Live House that raised 16,500 yuan ($2,357) for the Chinese Red Cross.

A slide show of quake images was screened between sets, which Todd says - coupled with bilingual pleas for contributions from onstage bands - stoked the spirit of solidarity. More than half the crowd was Chinese, even though most of the promotion was expat-oriented. "It's uplifting to see we can really communicate over things that really count. There are no differences when people are in trouble; you just help," he says.

Pleas for contributions are being posted on nearly every expat website and more fundraising events are scheduled at foreigner-oriented venues.

Rock band Queen Sea Big Shark will host another fundraising concert at MAO Live House this Friday.

Beijing International Christian Fellowship (BICF) plans to donate 100,000 yuan and will hold a special congregation-wide collection on May 25. Its children's ministry is also collecting diapers and toy animals for shipment to impacted areas.

The American Chamber of Commerce will donate 1 million yuan to relief efforts, and the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce last Friday hosted an event, with proceeds going to the victims.

Pennay says the speed at which fundraising events are being organized is impressive and "people have been making sure the money will have an effect and the organizations would use the money and resources effectively".

United Family Hospitals marketing manager Chelsea Ren says the Beijing branch was flooded with calls from foreigners hoping to donate blood.

One donor's contribution was particularly moving.

"I got a call from an American woman who was leaving Beijing and wanted to donate blood before she left, so you know she was doing it only for the Chinese people," she says.

Ren says blood reserves are now adequate in both Chengdu and Beijing, although more would be needed before the Olympic Games.