Sorrow, hope a year after quake
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, April 21, 2014
A memorial service was held yesterday to commemorate the 196 victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Lushan County in the southwestern Sichuan Province a year ago.
|
![One year ago(L): Yang Jinmao, above, holds cardboard to shade his girlfriend, He Jianxi, from the sun as she was awaits treatment at a hospital in Lushan county, Sichuan province, on April 20, 2013, after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake hit the county that morning. Jiang Hongjing / Xinhua News Agency NOW (R): Yang Jinmao and He Jianxi show their marriage certificate. They registered on Sunday, one year after the Lushan earthquake as their love helped them get them through the tough time. [Photo/China Daily]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20140421/7427ea210acc14beba0734.jpg "One year ago(L): Yang Jinmao, above, holds cardboard to shade his girlfriend, He Jianxi, from the sun as she was awaits treatment at a hospital in Lushan county, Sichuan province, on April 20, 2013, after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake hit the county that morning. Jiang Hongjing / Xinhua News Agency NOW (R): Yang Jinmao and He Jianxi show their marriage certificate. They registered on Sunday, one year after the Lushan earthquake as their love helped them get them through the tough time. [Photo/China Daily]") |
|
One year ago(L): Yang Jinmao, above, holds cardboard to shade his girlfriend, He Jianxi, from the sun as she was awaits treatment at a hospital in Lushan county, Sichuan province, on April 20, 2013, after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake hit the county that morning. [Photo/Xinhua] NOW (R): Yang Jinmao and He Jianxi show their marriage certificate. They registered on Sunday, one year after the Lushan earthquake as their love helped them get them through the tough time. [Photo/China Daily] |
Survivors gathered at a high school in Longmen, the worst-hit town, and bowed their heads to pay their respects to the decreased in silence as the clock read 8:02am, the time the quake struck.
Flower baskets with white chrysanthemums were laid in front of a memorial wall where photographs of the decreased and of rescue efforts were hung.
Life seems to have moved on in the mountainous county, 200 kilometers southwest of provincial capital Chengdu, where damaged buildings are being repaired “in a proper and cautious manner,” according to the local government.
But the anguish of families who lost loved ones remains. Sorrow was evident in tear-filled eyes as the “Theme of Missing” was played yesterday.
“It’s a time to cry, but our tears can’t bring the decreased back to life,” said mourner Zhu Guoxia, clutching a single white flower in her hand.
Zhu lost her 11-year-old nephew and her home in the quake, but her immediate family of four survived.
As one of 4,482 needy families covered by a government preferential housing plan, the Zhu family moved into a new two-story house in mid-March.
“The disaster has made my family stronger. We still hold hopes for the future,” said Zhu.
One year on, Zhong Mian, the administrative vice governor of Sichuan, said Lushan’s reconstruction was on-track.
According to Zhong, the three-year program, which involves 2,700 government-initiated projects, will cost 87.6 billion yuan (US$14.22 billion). Its priority is to rebuild homes for survivors.
The earthquake affected 2 million people, leaving 100,000 families homeless.
Work has begun for more than 84 percent of the residential projects and more than 95 percent of schools and medical service buildings, said Zhong.
“All new homes for rural residents and one-third of those for their urban peers are expected to be built by the end of this year,” he said.
Local government has also conducted a survey of spots prone to geological disasters. All 396 projects to treat potential dangers have begun, said Zhong.
Compared to the five-year massive reconstruction after the May 12 earthquake in 2008, which also occurred in Sichuan and claimed more than 10,000 lives, the rebuilding of Lushan has taken a more patient and open approach, said Wei Hong, the provincial governor.
“Speed is not what we pursue. Instead, we have given more attention to creating an overall plan that is based on the needs of people,” said Wei.
Villagers have set up organizations to participate in building their homes
“This is our home and also our hope. We can’t just count on others while standing idle ourselves,” said Yang Shaoxian, a villager from the Phoenix New Village and a quality supervisor of the village’s self-construction committee.
Though they mourn the dead, some locals chose to mark the anniversary of the quake with happiness, too.
Yang Jinmao and He Jianxi wed yesterday as the two registered at the county’s civil affairs bureau. Yang saved He after she became trapped beneath a collapsed wall as she tried to flee her home.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened had he not been there for me,” said the new bride. “The day is so meaningful for us that we want it to have bright and happy memories too,” she said.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)