When Zhang Dingyu, learned about registering as an organ donor in 2022 from a fellow patient, he signed up immediately.

"Despite my disease, my kidneys, liver and heart could be of use to other patients. Moreover, as a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, donating my body can help advance research into the disease," said Zhang, a former hospital president in Wuhan, Hubei province, known for his contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and his personal battle against ALS, a fatal motor neuron disease.

His remarks were made during an event held on Tuesday to honor organ donors ahead of this year's Tomb Sweeping Day on Friday.

During the event held by the China Organ Donation Administrative Center in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Zhang was also appointed as a national ambassador for organ donation promotion to spread awareness about other causes.

The number of registered organ donors in China has exceeded 7.05 million, up by about 33,500 from a year ago, according to the latest data released by the center on Tuesday.

China began establishing a voluntary organ donation system in 2010 and made voluntary donation the only legitimate source of transplantable organs in 2015.

To date, the nation has carried out 58,000 posthumous organ donations, 63,000 body donations and more than 110,000 corneal donations, said the center.

As a result, the lives of around 170,000 patients with organ failure have been saved, and more than 100,000 individuals have regained their eyesight, it added.

To honor organ donors, more than 280 memorial sites have been built across the nation, the center said.