Zhang Yang

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THE first time Xu Binghui donated his blood was on his 18th birthday. He had waited for a long time to make his first blood donation, because people under 18 years old are not allowed to donate blood.

“My mother was diagnosed with leukemia when I was 8 years old. She didn’t make it because the disease was incurable back then,” Xu said. His mother’s suffering prompted him to become a blood donor as well as to volunteer to donate his stem cells when he turned 18, as he knew that his donation might save someone else’s life.

The 26-year-old has donated blood over 40 times since 2008. He joined the team of volunteers organized by the Shenzhen Blood Center two months ago to solicit blood donors from across the city and promote the idea of voluntary blood donation to local residents.

“I donate my blood every two weeks. Blood donation is good for my health because it ensures my body is continuously generating new blood,” he said.

Chen Dong-sen, from Taiwan, is also a regular blood donor who made his first donation when he was 18 years old. He donated nearly 300 bags of blood while he was living in Taiwan and has made 84 blood donations in Shenzhen since he moved here in 2013.

Chen is fond of running and even founded a running club in Shenzhen in 2015. Ever since then, he has been encouraging the club’s members to donate their blood regularly.

“Many people were hesitant at the beginning because they were concerned that donating their blood might have a negative influence on their health,” he said. “But I convinced them that blood donation was not only harmless but also beneficial to their health by serving as an example,” he said.

Now in his 50s, Chen runs over 100 kilometers a week and donates blood every two weeks. Currently, one-third of his running club’s members have become blood donors by following his lead.

In Shenzhen, blood donors are rewarded with the privilege of using blood for free for their whole life, while their immediate family members can use as much blood as they have donated free of charge.

According to the Shenzhen Blood Center, more than 150,000 people made blood donations and 47.5 tons of blood were collected last year in Shenzhen. The center has set up 10 blood donation stations in Futian, Luohu, Nanshan and Yantian districts and solicited over 2,500 volunteers to regularly promote voluntary blood donation among residents.