Chinese mainland to hold television fundraiser for Taiwan typhoon relief

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Five TV stations in the Chinese mainland are organizing a televised fundraiser on the coming Thursday to raise money for victims of Taiwan's deadliest typhoon in half a century.

A number of the country's biggest names in the entertainment industry will be invited, such as directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang, actors Jackie Chan and Jet Li, actresses Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun, as well as sports stars Yao Ming and Guo JingJing.

The close-to-four-hour fundraiser are organized by the Shanghai-based Dragon TV, Jiangsu Satellite TV, Zhejiang Satellite TV, Hunan Satellite TV, and Shenzhen Satellite TV. The event will be broadcast live beginning 7:35 p.m. Thursday.

Typhoon Morakot, the worst typhoon to hit Taiwan in nearly five decades, wreaked havoc across central and southern Taiwan.

At least 126 people were killed and 61 others were still missing by 8 a.m. Monday, according to local disaster response authorities. Another 45 people were injured.