Many Tibetans, including lamas, have opened their wallets to donate cash and relief materials since the 8.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday.

Donations from the three leading monasteries in Lhasa alone are valued at more than 100,000 yuan (US$14,285), the regional government of Tibet Autonomous Region said on Sunday.

About 1,100 lamas from the Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and Ganden Monastery donated cash, said Gunga, a Tibetan official in charge of religious affairs at the United Front Work Department.

"Lamas at other monasteries also made donations, ranging from a few yuan to several thousand yuan," he said. A lama from Lhozhag County donated 30,000 yuan.

Across Tibet, many lamas have held religious services to pray for the quake victims.

"Tibetan Buddhism highlights benevolence and salvation," said Living Buddha Zhukang Tubdankezhub. "What these lamas are doing for the quake victims also demonstrates the kinship between the Tibetans and the Han people."

Zhukang Tubdankezhub himself donated 100,000 yuan in cash.

Even Lhasa residents who suffered losses in the March 14 violence chipped in.

Zhang Shengqiong, whose small restaurant in downtown Lhasa was smashed by mobs, donated 200 yuan though her business remained closed after the riot. "My damage was valued at 18,000 yuan, but I can still manage with a government allowance of 260 yuan a month."

The Yishion clothing store, the retail outlet where five female sales staff died in a fire during the riot, donated about 4,000 yuan in cash and clothing valued at 20,000 yuan. The store reopened only ten days ago.

As of Sunday, Tibet's civil affairs department has received 19 million yuan in donations and the regional Red Cross, an additional 3.5 million in cash.

The provincial treasury in Sichuan Province had received 2.68 billion yuan (US$383 million) in relief funds, said vice governor Li Chengyun on Sunday.

This broke down into 1.77 billion yuan (US$253 million) from the central coffers and 913 million yuan (US$130 million) in donations, Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2008)