Bidders at a charity auction in Shanghai last night donated a combined 470,000 yuan (US$68,814) toward better eye care for children in Yunnan Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The auction, which featured items ranging from artworks to art deco furniture, was held as a joint celebration of the 10th anniversaries of the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, the Orbis International Shanghai office and Shanghai Daily.

Orbis, based in New York, is a non-profit organization that aims to eliminate avoidable blindness in developing countries.

"The auction was a great success," said Caroline Huang, chief representative of Orbis' Shanghai branch, "It's only the beginning, and we're going to continue our work."

Local property developer Tu Haiming gave the largest donation, 190,000 yuan. A framed, inaugural edition of Shanghai Daily was also among the items auctioned, raising 50,000 yuan for charity.

Zhang Wensheng, a Zhejiang entrepreneur who runs a logistics company, made the winning bid. "It's nice to do something for charity," he said.

"I just want to give a really sincere 'thank you' to everybody that made this auction possible," said Christopher Koehler, general manager of Grand Hyatt Shanghai.

(Shanghai Daily August 29, 2009)