The amount of donations has hit a record 100 billion yuan ($14.7 billion) so far this year - exceeding the total for the past decade - thanks to a groundswell of support from individuals and the private sector, a senior official said yesterday.

The high figure is partly because of an outpouring of generosity after the Sichuan earthquake in May but still represents a quantum leap from say, 2005, when the amount was a mere 8 billion yuan.

Earthquake relief efforts raised 73.7 billion yuan, a figure which includes contributions of about 13 billion yuan from Party members.