Kaka, a fan of actor Wu Lei, who launched donation efforts on Jan 23, said: "The most difficult part was finding medical supplies, such as facemasks and protective suits. We also needed to ensure that all the supplies we bought were genuine, which took a lot of time."

In December, when Wu, who has more than 40 million followers on his Sina Weibo account, celebrated his 20th birthday, nearly 800 fans donated 55 libraries and science laboratories to schools.

The first fan group donation to Wuhan hospitals was 1,000 protective suits, which cost nearly 70,000 yuan.

"We contacted hospitals in Wuhan, and members of the fan group in the city helped us distribute the medical supplies," Kaka said, adding that each donor is provided with detailed information about the spending, delivery and livestreaming of the distribution of donations.

"This is the collective power of individuals, who gather together because of our shared love for our idols," Kaka said. "The viral outbreak affects each one of us, so we should come together and contribute in our own ways."

Jerry Lin, a member of the global fan club for 21-year-old singer-songwriter Cai Xukun, said it has a clear division of work for the donations. Some key management members are in Wuhan, enabling fans to gain firsthand information about the situation.

"Cai Xukun has donated 600,000 yuan to help people who are battling the Wuhan novel coronavirus outbreak. As his fans, we also want to contribute," said Jerry Lin, who lives in Beijing. He added that from Jan 23 to 28, more than 600,000 yuan had been donated by Cai's fans to buy medical supplies.