Pingtan county in Fujian province will continue to assist college freshmen who have financial troubles, according to the local working committee.

The committee, which has been running a financial-aid fund for college students with difficulties over the past decade, plans to subsidize 80 to 100 of them this year.

Previously the fund has depended on donations from government officials. But this year the majority of the fund, which is 680,400 yuan ($110,837), comes from charities from calligraphers from across the Taiwan Straits.

The working committee has expanded the grant-in-aid through a variety of ways in the past year in a bid to include more companies and individuals to engage in the program. The campaign has achieved success as both the number of students to be subsidized and the amount of stipend pay has increased.

Qualified students can apply for the subsidy at their local community or call 86 (591) 24393363 for further information.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Micheal Thai