From homeless vagrants to victims suffering flood disasters, millions of the needy in China are enjoying?various gatherings on the eve of the Spring Festival, the Chinese lunar New Year.

Under government care, the needy have received donations either in cash or in food and clothes for celebration activities during the Spring Festival, which falls on January 29.

The Chinese government has launched a series of charity programs across the country, aiming at "bringing warmth and love" to the needy in holidays.

From Saturday morning, farmers of Pingnan County in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the worst-hit area of flooding last summer, have been busy preparing the big family dinner.

Amid cracks of fireworks, laughter burst out among happy crowds in the rural area, who thanked the government?for helping them in home rebuilding.

Governments at all levels made full efforts after the flooding, which affected 7 million people and destroyed 43,000 houses in a dozen of counties in Guangxi.

Under the government's disaster-relief efforts, people in the flood-hit areas have received abundant clothes for winter and cash donation for home reconstruction. In Dahetun Village, 300 homeless villagers moved into new houses only three months after the disaster.

"The donations were really a timely help because I lost everything in the flooding," said Zhou Jingfang, a 79-year old farmer in Zhendong Village who was busy preparing for the festival.

The government's "bringing warmth and love" program also favors the children and adults wandering in cities, helping them return home for family gathering and providing them with free food and shelters during the festival.

In Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, rescue centers have received hundreds of homeless people who need food and shelter.

In the Luogang District Rescue Center, more than 200 urban homeless spent the eve of the lunar New Year with a tasty dinner and comfortable bed in the government shelter.

In June 2003, the Chinese government issued a decree to scrap all government institutions of custody and repatriation that collected urban vagrants and homeless on the streets and sent them home.

Such institutions across the country have been turned into shelters to provide free food and lodging for the needy. Prior to the Spring Festival, the government urged all such centers to ensure that "no homeless person freezes to death on the streets."

In 2005 alone, rescue centers in Guangzhou helped 28,137 homeless people.

According to rescue center officials, shelter residents were given a free health check, a shower and clean clothes on arrival. They ate jiaozi -- filled dumplings traditionally eaten on the lunar New Year -- and enjoyed the television gala as most Chinese families did Saturday night.

At the city's homeless children protection shelter, 62 children even had their own New Year party, playing games and winning prizes.

"I'm so happy because it's my first Spring Festival with so many friends together," said Wei Fujiang, an eight-year-old boy in new sports wear donated by staff.

Hu Guozhi, vice director of the Luogang shelter, said the food was improved during the Spring Festival with daily allowances increased, and if anyone wanted to go home after the holiday, the center would provide a free train ticket.

The Luogang shelter is the largest district rescue center which is able to house hundreds of homeless children and adults.

Featuring the rescue efforts on the homeless and the needy, the national charity program usually starts one month earlier than the Spring Festival, which features family reunion and praying for peace and harmony.

Launched by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) over a dozen years ago, the annual charity program has been extended by Chinese governments at all levels, aiming to give care and material support for some 60 million victims struggling in regions hit by natural disasters every year, 20 million urbanites on the government's minimum living allowance and 75 million rural residents in absolute poverty and extremely low income.

More than 240 million yuan (US$30 million) of funds as well as food, quilts and clothes donated nationwide have been allocated to over 20 million people last year, according to civil affairs departments statistics.

The ACFTU, which has 134 million members in 1.7 million primary trade union organizations, alone appropriated 45 million yuan (US$5.6million) of charity funds in Spring Festival donation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2006)