SINGAPORE, Nov 3 — A Chinese calligraphy artwork by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was won by a successful bid of S$308,888 (RM1,020,000) in an online charity auction for the Singapore Red Cross’ (SRC) 75th anniversary benefit gala yesterday.

Angen Fund Management founder Fang Angzhen won the bid at the event held at the Shangri-La Singapore Island Ballroom — which brought together philanthropists, community leaders, corporate executives and entrepreneurs — for the artwork bearing the Chinese characters tong xin xie li, yu shi bing jin.

The starting bid for the piece, which measures 66cm by 124.5cm, was S$25,000 (RM82,532) when it kicked off last month.

SRC said the money raised will go towards supporting its programmes for children, youth and families; persons with disability; and the elderly who live alone.

Other items auctioned included paintings and a sculpture, a bottle of 18-year single malt whiskey and a pair of round-trip business class tickets on Gulf Air to any destination in the airline’s network, fetched between S$4,300 (RM14,196) and S$7,800 (RM25,750) per item, while a necklace with emeralds and diamonds was sold at S$100,000 (RM330,000)