A small girl waves her hand at the top of a big drum before an event entitled "Let China's Spirit Fly High - Fly a Kite, Fight SARS." The event, held on Saturday at the Badaling section of the Great Wall, was organized to allow Beijingers an opportunity to fly kites at several parks and on 10 university campuses in Beijing.
Thousands of people attended opening ceremonies and enjoyed a concert involving 100 drums. As part of the campaign, kites were also flown in Hong Kong. Kite-flying activities will continue at public parks around Beijing every Saturday until SARS is eradicated.
"For us, SARS has become the epidemic that has deeply shaken our nation. We need to stand together in the war against SARS. We need to demonstrate true Chinese spirit in this unprecedented crisis," said Zhang Xin, an organizer of the event.
Zhang is co-chairman of Soho China, a leading real estate developer in the country. The company is a major sponsor of the event.
"Compared with the damage caused by SARS, people's fear of the disease is more destructive. We need to walk out to show we are confident to overcome the disease," Zhang said.
The China Spirit campaign was organized by China Charity Federation. It was sponsored by more than 100 enterprises- including Soho China, China Netcom, and Sina.com.
