When Zhang Zengjia, a farmer from the village of Zhoubian in Xingping, Shaanxi Province, heard about the earthquake in Sichuan he was determined to do something to help.

So he loaded a truck with 50,000 yuan (US$7,000) worth of instant noodles and water and set off for the disaster-hit region.

"When I heard from the TV that 10,000 people had been killed in the earthquake, I thought I should do something to help the people there," Zhang told local media on Tuesday afternoon, shortly before setting off for Sichuan.

As the death toll rose, the farmer-turned entrepreneur said his determination grew stronger.

"At first, I was just going to buy some quilts, but I couldn't find enough in the market.

"So I bought the instant noodles and drinking water and loaded them on to two trucks," Zhang said.

When his friends heard of his plan, some of them urged him not to spend too much money.

"Although Zhang has his own business, he is not rich and we think it will be a heavy burden on him," a friend surnamed Liu said.

But Zhang was undeterred. He knew what he wanted to do and, most importantly, he had the support by his wife, who traveled with him to the quake zone.

"We are showing the people in the disaster areas that we support them. We just hope our humble efforts help some of the people there," Zhang said on Tuesday afternoon.

Zhang's trucks arrived in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, Wednesday afternoon, where those leading the relief effort in the area thanked him for his generous contribution.

Meanwhile, the government of Xi'an on Wednesday laid on 110 buses to take 7,000 migrant workers from Shaanxi back to their hometowns in Sichuan.

The workers had initially set off for home by train, but became stranded in Xi'an, the Shaanxi provincial capital, due to the disruption to the railway line linking Baoji and Chengdu.

After hearing of the workers' plight, the government arranged the buses, which left for Sichuan Wednesday afternoon.

Shaanxi, which neighbors Sichuan, has been hard hit by the earthquake.

Shaanxi Governor Yuan Chunqing on Wednesday visited the cities of Hanzhong and Shangluo in the south of the province, which have both suffered heavy losses.

He offered his support to the rescue teams and urged local authorities to do what they can to help the victims of the quake.

More than 1,000 tents and other essentials have been delivered to the two cities, Yuan said.

(China Daily May 15, 2008)