The first batch of 10,000 playing cards with photos of 27 missing children were printed this month in the eastern province of Jiangsu, according to Xinhua news agency.

Families of the missing children each paid 600 yuan (75 dollars) to have their child's photo placed on the cards, Shen Hao, the organizer of the project, told Xinhua.

Telephone numbers of people who can be contacted if someone recognizes the child are placed under each photo.

The missing children are from 13 cities in five eastern Chinese provinces. The project was organized by a local organization that specializes in tracking down missing children, according to Xinhua.

The playing card appeal echoes a campaign by the US military shortly after it invaded Iraq in 2003 when it released playing cards of "most wanted" figures who belonged to Saddam Hussein's toppled regime.

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