Twelve visually-impaired orphans brought the magic of Christmas to the capital this weekend with the performance of a holiday classic in aid of a fellow student in desperate need of surgery.

The youngsters from the Bethel China Foundation, an institution dedicated to helping the visually-impaired and orphan population, performed an interpretation of A Christmas Carol at the Four Points Sheraton on Saturday to a large audience.

The performance was part of Bethel's annual fundraising events, but this was the first time the students had performed.

"I think the play went really well," said 10-year-old Gao Hongfu, one of the performers.

This year the stakes were much higher than usual, said Guillaume Gauvain, who founded the school with his wife in 2003.

In addition to raising money for coal to heat the school during the winter and buy supplies for 60 students, donations and ticket sales will also be put toward the 10,000 yuan needed to help pay for a student's surgery to remove a tumor that is threatening her already limited vision.

"It's an important cause. It's a way for us to help the children and to have the children help each other," said the French native.

Gauvain said the program also gives the children a chance to feel appreciated.

"For most of their lives, these children have been undervalued. This is a good opportunity to let them know they do have value," he said.

The play, which highlighted the experiences of a grouchy old woman coming to terms with the Christmas spirit, was written and organized by more than 40 local graduate students and professionals.

"We chose A Christmas Carol but customized it a bit for modern China," said Ann Chao, who has been volunteering with Bethel since 2006.

She said they wanted to focus on informing Chinese people what Christmas is all about while also bringing some holiday cheer.

"It wasn't just the play that made it good, the whole event was special," she said.

One audience member, Oliver, a graduate student studying Chinese in Beijing, said he thought the performance was a good cause.

"It's a good feeling to see people who are so compassionate about helping others."