Yi, Back in China, Helps Organize Earthquake Relief

Within days of the end of the season, Yi Jianlian was back in China, attending the Chinese Basketball Association playoffs and helping to fund and organize relief efforts for the country's latest earthquake victims in the northwestern  Qinghai Province. The death toll now stands at 2,187, 10 days after the quake struck.

Before one of the nationally televised playoff games, Yi donated $30,000 to the earthquake relief efforts, and asked the audience to help out as a "patriotic force"--"I will appeal to everyone, put up your hand to support the disaster area. Even if you can not directly transfer this love to the disaster areas, please pass this message to each of the people around you."

Yi and Yao Ming won universal praise in 2008 for their relief efforts when a much stronger earthquake killed at least 68,000  people in Sichuan province.  Yi has sponsored a school in the earthquake zone, visiting it frequently.

• Grey Wednesday (Machine Translation) - Yi Jianlian - Sina.com