For the children of Wenchuan who have died in the earthquake
Hurry child, grab mommy's hands
Child, tightly grab mommy's hand
The way to heaven is too dark and mommy's afraid you'll hit your head
Hurry, tightly grab mommy's hands, let mom go with you
Mommy, I'm scared that the road to heaven is too dark
I can't see your hands since the fallen walls stole the sunshine away
I will never again see your loving gaze
Child, you can go to the road ahead
You will have no sadness, no endless homework, or your father's scolding
You must remember daddy's face and mine
In the next life we will walk together again
(anonymous author)
Showing posts with label Sichuan Earthquake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sichuan Earthquake. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
This is not another day - from NY
KH's post from NY:
Thank you for your personal account of May 19 in Beijing. What a grand sight filled with a lot of loss and sadness but also great comfort and hope.
Much like you, I am filled with strong emotions the whole of the past week but at the same time couldn't read enough about the conditions in the disaster area. I am moved one moment by the unimaginable pain and the next moment by the enourmous greatness of spirit. I do not know if I feel this way because of my Chinese heritage or because I am human - but whatever it is, I feel at one. Si hai yi jia.
And I have never been more proud of the Chinese people. We are seeing Chinese at our best - united, determined, caring, generous, humble, self-confident, courageous, calm, civilized. One can't hide 5000 years of humanism and civilization. More than once it crossed my mind, "wow! this is what a great nation looks like." The Olympics? that's just a party, this is the real deal.
I read a story of this journalist from Singapore's Lianhe Zhaobao who spent 2 days in the quakezone carrying only her handbag, and for 2 days and nights the quake victims who lost everything took care of her, sharing their meager food and water with her and giving her a place to sleep in their tent. Others offered her a ride in their transport. Amidst the devastation, she see a calm determination to find survivors and also a quiet acceptance keep on living. How admirable! What a great people!
If the true test is in times of adversity, I see Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau behaving as one nation. I can report that charities are all over Chinatown right here in New York City as well - and people are contributing. There is a Chinese consciosuness that transcends the day-to-day issues and contemporary conflicts that the media obsessed about. They are - quite rightly - mere small details for a people who takes a very long perspective to life.
Life is full of imponderables. We often (mis)judge the present by looking into the rearview mirror (i.e. comparing with the past) and think we "know" what the universe has in store. Now I am speculating .... but when you think about it, the trouble with the Tibetans may have actually heightened the numbers and prepareness of the PLA in the Chengdu military region, which made it possible to mobilize so quickly when the quake struck. Ren suan bu lu tian suan. Everything good and bad happen for a reason that we mere humans are not aware of.
Yesterday I wrote a question on a webforum to the NYT reporter (an American Chinese) who is in the quake zone. I asked him, knowing that Western Sichuan is an ethnically diverse region, what proportion of the people affected and being assisted are Tibetan? I am curious to see that perspective because I know in my heart that the same PLA is risking their lives helping Tibetans. While making my post, I noticed that 9/10 webposts from China are filled with love and gratitude graciously thanking the world and esp people in the US for their kind thoughts, assistance and solidarity in this time of trouble. How gracious and dignified I thought. What a wonderful attitude. Granted 10% are ignorant silliness but the majority of US posts expresses sympathy or asks how they can contribute. Its great to see from behind these snapshots the common humanity coming together even outside the Chinese world.
Bro, now is an opportunity to appreciate our lives and family is it not?
Thank you for your personal account of May 19 in Beijing. What a grand sight filled with a lot of loss and sadness but also great comfort and hope.
Much like you, I am filled with strong emotions the whole of the past week but at the same time couldn't read enough about the conditions in the disaster area. I am moved one moment by the unimaginable pain and the next moment by the enourmous greatness of spirit. I do not know if I feel this way because of my Chinese heritage or because I am human - but whatever it is, I feel at one. Si hai yi jia.
And I have never been more proud of the Chinese people. We are seeing Chinese at our best - united, determined, caring, generous, humble, self-confident, courageous, calm, civilized. One can't hide 5000 years of humanism and civilization. More than once it crossed my mind, "wow! this is what a great nation looks like." The Olympics? that's just a party, this is the real deal.
I read a story of this journalist from Singapore's Lianhe Zhaobao who spent 2 days in the quakezone carrying only her handbag, and for 2 days and nights the quake victims who lost everything took care of her, sharing their meager food and water with her and giving her a place to sleep in their tent. Others offered her a ride in their transport. Amidst the devastation, she see a calm determination to find survivors and also a quiet acceptance keep on living. How admirable! What a great people!
If the true test is in times of adversity, I see Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau behaving as one nation. I can report that charities are all over Chinatown right here in New York City as well - and people are contributing. There is a Chinese consciosuness that transcends the day-to-day issues and contemporary conflicts that the media obsessed about. They are - quite rightly - mere small details for a people who takes a very long perspective to life.
Life is full of imponderables. We often (mis)judge the present by looking into the rearview mirror (i.e. comparing with the past) and think we "know" what the universe has in store. Now I am speculating .... but when you think about it, the trouble with the Tibetans may have actually heightened the numbers and prepareness of the PLA in the Chengdu military region, which made it possible to mobilize so quickly when the quake struck. Ren suan bu lu tian suan. Everything good and bad happen for a reason that we mere humans are not aware of.
Yesterday I wrote a question on a webforum to the NYT reporter (an American Chinese) who is in the quake zone. I asked him, knowing that Western Sichuan is an ethnically diverse region, what proportion of the people affected and being assisted are Tibetan? I am curious to see that perspective because I know in my heart that the same PLA is risking their lives helping Tibetans. While making my post, I noticed that 9/10 webposts from China are filled with love and gratitude graciously thanking the world and esp people in the US for their kind thoughts, assistance and solidarity in this time of trouble. How gracious and dignified I thought. What a wonderful attitude. Granted 10% are ignorant silliness but the majority of US posts expresses sympathy or asks how they can contribute. Its great to see from behind these snapshots the common humanity coming together even outside the Chinese world.
Bro, now is an opportunity to appreciate our lives and family is it not?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
This is not another day - May 19
The crowd at the Tiananmen were unusually large but quiet and kind of devoid of the exciement characteristic of the square visitors.
The employees lined up at the entrance of the Peoples Central Bank and this was repeated with the other buildings nearby along the Changan Street. From afar, they all looked solemn.
When the taxi got onto the Xi Er Huan (Western Second Ring Raod), every overhead bridges, the taxi passed through, were full of peoples standing by. Down on the road, the vehicles were slowing down their pace.
This is not another day. The time has come, I asked the taxi driver to pull aside and stop.
On 2.28 pm May 19, 2008, the entire nation came to grieve the Wenchuan Quake Disaster, observing the three minutes silence for the fellow countrymen and women and children whose life were taken by the ferocious force of nature.
The May 12 quake calamity has transformed a nation first associated with incessant class struggle and followed by incessant material pursuit to a nation of compassion, a nation of love and voluntarism.
The calamity caused massive loss of life and pain of unsaid magnitude. We learn of the stories of selfless parents shieding their chidlren from the collapsed building. We also learn of altruistic teachers who tried to save the school children from the falling school. We know, despite their heroic eforts, most of them didn't survive and this pain us. We are all empathetic to the quake survivors amd their family.
There is outpouring of aids and charity everywhere. The street corners and the few open spaces in Hong Kong were filled by quake relief street campaigns last weekend.
I know first hand that many organizations both here in Hong Kong and Beijing initiate efforts to help the quake survivors. It pains us to learn that the surviving babies have no baby formulae, the injured are not treated, the sick are not given the medicine, the adults and children the food, the clean water and the shelter.
I saw and I know, Chinese, and not just Chinese, everywhere, donate for their fellow suffering brethens and sisters. Many young peoples both from within and outside the province volunteered to assist in the relieft efforts. Companies are making corporate donation.
We thank thoese rescue workers who are working around the clock to save life against the odd. We also thank those reporters who make the dangerous field trips to deliver us the largely heart breaking news in the midst of hoping for the few comforting news. We also appreciate the government taking the lead in rescueing the trapped and relieving the survivors.
We share the pain of the orphans. We also share the pain of parents who lost their children. We likewise share the pain of everyone who loss their family and friends. We shall help them to rebuild their home, their school and their life.
This is a nation in grief and this is a nation of hope
The employees lined up at the entrance of the Peoples Central Bank and this was repeated with the other buildings nearby along the Changan Street. From afar, they all looked solemn.
When the taxi got onto the Xi Er Huan (Western Second Ring Raod), every overhead bridges, the taxi passed through, were full of peoples standing by. Down on the road, the vehicles were slowing down their pace.
This is not another day. The time has come, I asked the taxi driver to pull aside and stop.
On 2.28 pm May 19, 2008, the entire nation came to grieve the Wenchuan Quake Disaster, observing the three minutes silence for the fellow countrymen and women and children whose life were taken by the ferocious force of nature.
The May 12 quake calamity has transformed a nation first associated with incessant class struggle and followed by incessant material pursuit to a nation of compassion, a nation of love and voluntarism.
The calamity caused massive loss of life and pain of unsaid magnitude. We learn of the stories of selfless parents shieding their chidlren from the collapsed building. We also learn of altruistic teachers who tried to save the school children from the falling school. We know, despite their heroic eforts, most of them didn't survive and this pain us. We are all empathetic to the quake survivors amd their family.
There is outpouring of aids and charity everywhere. The street corners and the few open spaces in Hong Kong were filled by quake relief street campaigns last weekend.
I know first hand that many organizations both here in Hong Kong and Beijing initiate efforts to help the quake survivors. It pains us to learn that the surviving babies have no baby formulae, the injured are not treated, the sick are not given the medicine, the adults and children the food, the clean water and the shelter.
I saw and I know, Chinese, and not just Chinese, everywhere, donate for their fellow suffering brethens and sisters. Many young peoples both from within and outside the province volunteered to assist in the relieft efforts. Companies are making corporate donation.
We thank thoese rescue workers who are working around the clock to save life against the odd. We also thank those reporters who make the dangerous field trips to deliver us the largely heart breaking news in the midst of hoping for the few comforting news. We also appreciate the government taking the lead in rescueing the trapped and relieving the survivors.
We share the pain of the orphans. We also share the pain of parents who lost their children. We likewise share the pain of everyone who loss their family and friends. We shall help them to rebuild their home, their school and their life.
This is a nation in grief and this is a nation of hope
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sichuan Earthquake Relief Efforts
From Hong Kong on May 13 I had a few rounds of quiet cries reading the wenchuan earthquake. the casualty number maybe be close to 100k as some towns and villages are cut off from communication and the search and rescue efforts are just reaching tho epicenter. Some of the casualties can be avoided. I was particular sad and angry reading the news that several hundred students and teachers were buried in a school building that collapsed because of the shoddy works. Without a question, it is another construction project where the developers used sub-standard materials for construction to squeeze out the profit and without question, certain government officers must be complicit in approving the project and get the kick back. I can't help holding my tears while typing this.
What relieve me is Hu made a statement almost immediately after the quake pledging all efforts to help the victim and our beloved premier wen was on site at the relief command center. china has hope - bai xin you fu - this is how we the chinese peoples expressing ourselves - saying we are blessed when we have good government.
Whatever misgiving one has for CPC and her conducts in some of the controversial areas, there is no question that the CPC led by Hu-Wen is very people-centric and winning overwhelming tacit mandate from the peoples.
From New York on May 13:
The coverage here is also quite extensive but looking at the Chinese media its wall to wall coverage especially about the school and the parents crying over the children. My most immediate reaction is also the shoddy construction - the tofu projects like what Zhu Rongji called them - and having worked in China so long you can almost picture the local officials and contractors callously cutting corners. And then I read this, which made me feel slightly more resigned because it appears that the area is prepared only for a 7.0 earthquake instead of 7.9 (which is in fact 9x stronger than 7.0) see: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136722
I read also of Wen Jiabao's almost heroic reactions rushing down there within hours, berating the bureaucrats, falling down and gashing his arm, giving encouragement and crying with the victims...I feel this is quite historic and like you I feel grateful. China today has the resources and capability to do the best job under a terrible situation and I am glad all country - HK and Macau and even Taiwan included - is responding as one people in the manner of a modern country. If we do this well and this is what 2008 will be remembered for more than the olympics. If we do this well, this is how China shows its a great nation again.
My thoughts are with the people.
What relieve me is Hu made a statement almost immediately after the quake pledging all efforts to help the victim and our beloved premier wen was on site at the relief command center. china has hope - bai xin you fu - this is how we the chinese peoples expressing ourselves - saying we are blessed when we have good government.
Whatever misgiving one has for CPC and her conducts in some of the controversial areas, there is no question that the CPC led by Hu-Wen is very people-centric and winning overwhelming tacit mandate from the peoples.
From New York on May 13:
The coverage here is also quite extensive but looking at the Chinese media its wall to wall coverage especially about the school and the parents crying over the children. My most immediate reaction is also the shoddy construction - the tofu projects like what Zhu Rongji called them - and having worked in China so long you can almost picture the local officials and contractors callously cutting corners. And then I read this, which made me feel slightly more resigned because it appears that the area is prepared only for a 7.0 earthquake instead of 7.9 (which is in fact 9x stronger than 7.0) see: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136722
I read also of Wen Jiabao's almost heroic reactions rushing down there within hours, berating the bureaucrats, falling down and gashing his arm, giving encouragement and crying with the victims...I feel this is quite historic and like you I feel grateful. China today has the resources and capability to do the best job under a terrible situation and I am glad all country - HK and Macau and even Taiwan included - is responding as one people in the manner of a modern country. If we do this well and this is what 2008 will be remembered for more than the olympics. If we do this well, this is how China shows its a great nation again.
My thoughts are with the people.
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