Adil Memettur, a young Uygur man who runs an online store selling matang, a cake from his hometown of Xinjiang, is transporting more than 1,400 boxes of the sweet to donate to people in the quake-hit Ludian county of Yunnan province.

The boxes of the nutrient-rich cake, which contains nuts and candied fruit, weigh 5,000 kg and are worth more than 500,000 yuan ($81,120).

Adil, 23, a senior at Changsha University of Science and Technology in Hunan province, said he has donated all his stocks of matang and had to suspend his online business for three days.

"Initially my business partners, who are also college students, wanted to donate money, but the confection is more practical for catastrophe victims as it is nutritious and easily preserved," Adil said, adding that amount of the cake could feed 50,000 people for one day.

Adil left Changsha on Tuesday night and expected to reach Ludian county on Wednesday night.

"As students, the ability of my business partners and I is limited, but I hope my donation will encourage more people to get in on the action to help people in quake-stricken areas," Adil said.