(Photo) Disaster relief performance held in Beijing

Olympic champion Gao Min takes the floor

(BEIJING, February 4) -- A benefit performance to aid people affected by the snowstorms that recently hit parts of China was held at the Beijing National Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Sunday.

Sponsored by the Press Commission of the Chinese Olympic Committee, the China Sports Fund for the Health of the Next Generation, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and other organizations, the performance attracted many donors from sports and cultural circles and the communities, including astronaut Yang Liwei; Olympic champions Gao Min, Ma Yanhong and Sang Xue; footballer Hao Haidong; and many artists.

Freezing rain and heavy snow have snarled China's central, southern and eastern regions over the past three weeks and have caused economic losses of about 53.8 billion yuan (7.5 billion U.S. dollars). At least 60 people have died and nearly 1.76 million others were relocated, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.