A misfortune creates optimism across the Taiwan Straits
The earthquake brings China and Taiwan closer than they have ever been in recent years. Are decades of animosity now finally coming to an end?
All about aftershocks
The disaster doesn't just end with the initial tremor. In fact it could go on for a long while.
Quake orphans
Scores of people want to adopt children who are left without family by the earthquake, but what are the rules?
National Treasure
Sichuan province is home to China's panda breeding programmes. What happened to these endangered creatures after the quake? A video reveals more.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends
Teachers put their students before themselves without hesitation and gave their lives for them. Read some of the most moving stories to emerge from the ruins.
China's irrepressible youths
Born of the nation' “one-child policy”, they are known as the little emperors and empresses. But in the country's moment of need, they rise to the occasion and prove that they are more than spoilt brats.
Voices from the quake zone
People affected speak out words of incredible strength.
Sichuan, before
The difficult terrain makes this province a harsh environment, even without the earthquake.
Aid at work
We check out the background of international aid organisations working on the ground in Sichuan and find those that can help you help the victims.
WAIT, THERE's MORE!
Do browse through the archives for our day-by-day reports on the first three weeks after the earthquake. You will find musical video montages, aid updates and latest developments from the scene.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Main Page
Monday, June 2, 2008
Children's Day in China
Day 20, May 31, Saturday
Death Toll: 68,858
Injury Toll: 366, 586
Missing: 18, 618
Psychological wounds
One of the most famous children in Sichuan is Lang Jing, a kindergartener who saluted his rescuers from the stretcher on which they carried him out. He is now recovering in Xi'an and hospital psychologists are pleading with the public to stop visiting him.
Lang is still traumatised by houses collapsing and his mental state is still shaky. He doesn't speak much and is reluctant to leave his mother's side. He has had so many well-wishing visitors who learnt about his story in the media that he has not had time to rest.
His psychologists are appealing to those who care for him to let him rest more so that they can proceed with his treatment.
The Sichuan earthquake saw huge numbers of volunteers heading to the province to help with relief efforts. Several of them have returned from their initial stint and some are having problems adjusting, having been stretched to their physical and own psychological limits. They say they are getting restless, feeling irritable, emotional and a guilt that they are not doing enough, having left the disaster zone.
Experts are suggesting hypnosis to help deal with their problems.
Day 21, June 1, Sunday
Death Toll: 68,858
Injury Toll: 366, 586
Missing: 18, 618
Number of After shocks: 9, 762, 192 measuring 4 on the Ritcher scale
The Tangjianshan quake lake has finally been dredged through after six days of continuous efforts. However heavy rains have increased the water capacity in six other quake lakes which are posing a danger as well.
At the same time that the authorities are dealing with flooding and more heavy storms imminent, they are also having to manage water resources for more than 5 million people. So far they have ensured that water supplies are available, though additional water trucks are being been sent into the affected zones.
Chinese netizens have been posting well-wishing messages for the children affected by the earthquake. Memorials were held at schools which collapsed. Joss sticks and other burnt offerings were laid out and parents mourn for the children they lost three weeks ago. All over China, as children in other provinces celebrated " Children's Day" they donated school supplies and gifts for those in Sichuan.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Sharon Stoned on the Chinese Net
US film star Sharon Stone has now placed herself under the scrutiny of China's millions of netizens, possibly dethroning CNN as cyber enemy number one.
The American news network incurred their wrath when its commentator Jack Cafferty called Chinese products "junk", adding that “I think they’re (the Chinese) basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years.”
CNN eventually gave in and apologised for Cafferty's comments when the extent of public fury in China over the incident became more apparent, and it pretty much became the dirtiest English letters in the Chinese language. An anti-cnn.com site was created ironically to monitor biased reporting, and endless debates went on even in foreign media, with overseas Chinese joining in the row.
The CNN incident happened in early April, when Chinese pride was still badly bruised over the hijacking of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay by activists to attack China's policies in Tibet. Nationalistic fervour was stirred up among Chinese, not least in cyberspace where online communities within China's socially closed network speak out.
All that patriotic passion had barely had a chance to calm before the country was again thrown together by the tragedy of the Sichuan quake. Stone could hardly have picked a better time if her plan was to piss a couple of millions of Chinese off.
Now her movies will no longer be shown in a major cinema chain and an online survey says 90 percent of Chinese will not forgive her. A major fashion magazine publishing group will no longer allow her image to be published. Several entertainment media content providers in China have banded together to banish the name "Sharon Stone" into oblivion, by eliminating all references to her on their sites.
Radical? Maybe. But Chinese media and businesses are realising the force of a full throttle from an enraged public. Woe to the magazine that decides to forgive Stone.
Time Magazine very recently published a report on the earthquake that at first glance appeared neither incendiary nor controversial.
"The Walls Tumble Down" published May 15 on its website reported
For most of China's long history, earthquakes and other calamities have been viewed as both portents of change and a test of the ruling government's "mandate of heaven." Many Chinese point out that Mao Zedong died only months after the Tangshan disaster. The Wenchuan quake is being discussed in similar terms in Chinese Internet forums, restaurants and tea shops, often generating an inchoate anxiety about possible cataclysms to come or punishment for past wrongs. Some commentators find significance in the fact that the quake hit just where the vast Sichuan plain meets the foothills of the Himalayas, the geographical and ethnic boundary separating China from Tibet — where Chinese troops put down bloody protests against Beijing's rule in March, sparking global protests that sullied China's image as it prepared to host the Olympic Games in August. Others gloomily point to a series of other recent tragedies — destructively cold snowstorms, an outbreak of disease that left dozens of children dead, a train accident that killed 72 — as evidence of some kind of heavenly displeasure.
Many Chinese online communities and readers seized upon those two words "heavenly displeasure"and in turned showed their displeasure, as they pointed out the fact that Time and CNN have the same owners.
In an interview with Taiwan media on May 12, Singapore's Minister Mentor noted,
" When Lee Hsien Loong was Deputy Prime Minister, he visited Taiwan. The Taiwanese media made big play of his visit. Beijing objected and suspended all government to government negotiations with us. Our Free Trade Agreement with Beijing has still not being signed after four years. New Zealand that started this negotiations after Singapore, have concluded the Free Trade Agreement. Beijing uses its economic and political clout to counter acts it sees as against its interests. Boycotting the Beijing Olympics will not be cost-free unlike boycotting the Moscow Olympics. The Soviet economy was of no interest to the rest of the world."
From the leadership to the average Wang on the street, any perceived insult will be dealt with by the Chinese, quite simply because "face" matters. And when it comes to unleashing fury, China scorned is both able and willing to give any scorned woman a run for her money.
Friday, May 30, 2008
A misfortune creates optimism across the Taiwan Straits
The Sichuan Earthquake has happened as Taiwan ushered in a new era, with the defeat of President Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence party by the Kuomintang, which has traditionally adopted a less hardline attitude towards China.
While it still asserts Taiwan's identity as separate from China, the earthquake has allowed the island's incoming Kuomintang leadership to begin its administration on the best possible note when it came to bilateral relations.
Even before he was sworn in, Ma had made prominent and high-profile contributions, donating money as well as turning up at charity fundraisers for the Sichuan earthquake victims. And at his inaugural speech, he referred to the Sichuan quake victims as 同胞, or brothers and both mainland Chinese and Taiwanese media were quick to pick up on his language of choice, as indication of close(r) ties across the turbulent Taiwan Straits.
Instead of the animosity and antagonism that characterised his predecessor Chen Shui-bian's time in office, Ma was portrayed as more humane and popular with the people. China had watched as Chen's party was defeated resounding at the March 22 presidential vote. Allegations of corruption and fraud against those within his close circle, including the First Lady, were played out constantly in the media and in all probability played a major role in the ouster of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party. But in China, his fall was taken as an indication that the prodigal renegade province was finally on the way of come home.
In the days following the quake, Taiwanese media had made it a point give round-the-clock coverage to relief efforts, and stories of miracle rescues, heroic sacrifices and tragic separation of families. Traditionally sensationalistic and emotional, these were what the Taiwanese press were known for and the drama emerging from Sichuan provided just the right content.
Newscasters broke down openly on screen, exhortations of brotherhood among all Chinese people were pronounced in print and on the air, as the island followed closely the plight of 15 members of an elderly tourist group remained missing in Sichuan. They rallied behind efforts to raise money for the victims and emerged as the single largest external donor.
All this and Ma's declaration of brotherhood led up to the visit by his party's top man to China. One of the first stops was the mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-Sen in the city of Nanjing.
Dr Sun is the rare figure in modern Chinese politics who is beloved in both Taiwan and China. He was the one behind the revolutionary force which eventually ended dynastic rule in China and it is from his death that Taiwan and China split into two separate entities.
Internal strife and power politics eventually saw Dr Sun's successor Chiang Kai-shek escape with his faithful to Taiwan where he set up a government apart from the Chinese Communist Party, and declared the island the Republic of China - Mainland is officially known as the People's Republic of China - giving rise to the division that still stands today.
Decades of tense face-off now show signs of easing with Taiwan's new leadership.
Kuomintang chief Wu Poh Hsiung could not have chosen a better stage. He stood at the square in front of Dr Sun's mausoleum, named after the late leader's motto to love all, 博愛. From there, before all gathering media, he proclaimed that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belonged to the Chinese race and that it was a blood tie that no one could eradicate.
If that was not enough, he heaped praise on the Chinese leadership. 人民最大. "The people were the most important," he wrote in calligraphy and said that would be his party's directive now that they were in power. China's top leaders heading to the frontline of the disaster, not fearing for their own safety and helping out was exactly an example of that.
Taiwan had refused to be a part of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in defense of its sovereignty, but Wu dropped by the Games venue when he was in the Chinese capital. He also met with Chinese president Hu Jintao, and this is the first time that the chiefs of the ruling parties of China and Taiwan have met.
Under normal circumstances, all this would have appeared to be openly pandering to Beijing to the more cautious or perhaps skeptical back home in Taiwan. But against the backdrop of the incredible outflow of Taiwanese sympathy for the victims and the repeated pronouncements of brotherhood, it became OK.
If the Kuomintang does stand by the words of its chief and place the people as top priority, what does this mean for cross-straits relations?
The ground work has now been laid for future discussions and Wu has left an invitation for Chinese leaders to visit Taiwan for further talks, and is even coming back for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in August as President Hu's guest.
Even in the spirit of cautious optimism, these are encouraging times across the Taiwan Straits, all of which would not have been possible without the goodwill generated from the gestures made by the Taiwanese in aiding the Sichuan quake victims.
What decades of human diplomacy could not achieve, Mother Nature accomplished in just one afternoon.
Into the 3rd Week
In the third week after, miraculous survival stories begin to run out. The tedious work of reuniting lost families and providing shelter for those affected by the destruction of more than 14 million homes continues.
Official figures say that the total number of people affected stands at 45, 509, 241, even greater than the entire population of Spain. Resettlement efforts are massive. Emergency housing has been secured for more than 15 million people. To put that in perspective, it is the equivalent of resettling everyone in Israel or the Netherlands twice over.
Day 15
26 May 2008, Monday
Death toll: 65, 080
Injury toll: 360, 058
Missing : 23, 150
The China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe have announced that they will donate all their takings from their seven-city tour of Britain to relief efforts in Sichuan. The group of hearing-impaired, fully and partially blind artistes premiered at Her Majesty's Theatre in London and will spend 20 days performing in other major cities like Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.
Day 16
27 May 2008, Tuesday
Death toll: 67, 183
Injury toll: 361, 822
Missing : 20, 790
The Chinese local media turns their attention to the arrival of a prominent Taiwanese politician.
Wu Boxiong, the leader of the island's Kuomintang Party, arrives in Nanjing, meeting with local officials. On Tuesday he pays his respects at the mausoleum of Chinese anti-imperialist revolutionary Dr Sun Yat-Sen and had more than few nice things to say about the Chinese leadership.
A Misfortune Creates Optimism Across the Taiwan Straits
Day 17
28 May 2008, Wednesday
Death toll: 68, 109
Injury toll: 362, 552
Missing : 19,851
Rife rumours that another earthquake would take place today proved to be unfounded but the situation close to one of the so-called quake lakes was getting dire.
Some 30,000 people have been evacuated from around the Tangjiashan 唐家山 quake lake, just 3.2 km from the quake-affected town of Beichuan. The water level in the lake has risen to 1.6 metres deep and though authorities say the rate of increase has fallen, the lake - created when the sudden movements from the quake dammed an existing river - could still burst its banks. There is estimated to be more than 100 million cubic metres of water in the lake, which can probably hold up to 300 million.
Heavy machinery has been used to dredge the lake but the People's Liberation Army has sent bomber planes along with 1,100 troops and 10 tons of explosives to blow apart the quake lake.
According to official state media, out of 34 lakes created, 28 are in danger of bursting.
Day 18
29 May 2008, Thursday
Death toll: 68, 516
Injury toll: 365, 399
Missing : 19, 350
The outcry from American actress Sharon Stone's remarks at the Cannes Film Festival refocuses national attention once again on the Sichuan earthquake. Apart from calling the Dalai Lama " a good friend", she added, "And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma -- when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"
French perfume makers Christian Dior had to pull the 50-year-old's ads from China where the world's largest online community debated among themselves, if they should accept Stone's subsequent apology. She issued a statement saying, "In the course of the interview I made inappropriate remarks and for any harm created towards the Chinese people I am extremely sad and apologize." Local media wryly noted that she may have lost US$56 million over her thoughtless remarks.
Sharon stoned on the Chinese net
The situation over at the Tangjiashan quake lake worsens after 12 hours of continuous rain raises water volume to 160 million cubic metres. Officials fear the worst if the levels increase at the current rate of 10 million cubic metres/ day. Almost 70,000 people have been moved to safety, with another 90,000 ready to be evacuated as well. The 160,000 in the nearby town of Jinyang may also be affected.
Day 19
30 May 2008, Friday
Death toll: 68,858
Injury toll: 366, 586
Missing : 18, 618
Japan's international rescue team - one of the first to arrive after the quake - have returned home. Tokyo has announced that it will be sending relief provisions like tents and blankets to China, but not via military aircraft as first intended. Instead civilian planes will be chartered to make the delivery, which will be less controversial in light of residual tension on the part of the Chinese over the Japanese invasion and occupation of their country in World War Two.
If the original plan had gone ahead, it would have been the first significant military despatch from Japan to China since the war.
The Chinese Red Cross reiterates that 100% of all donations received for the Sichuan quake victims will go towards relief efforts, and that it will not use any portion of it to cover costs arising from administering the aid.
The Red Cross spokesman says the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies requires that it limits administrative expenses to 6.5 %. it had managed to keep its administrative costs down to 1.66 % during its last major crisis relief campaign - the SARS outbreak in 2003.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Quotes...
Seen and heard from Sichuan
“我是温家宝爷爷，孩子们一定要挺住，一定会得救！”
" I am Grandpa Wen, kids you must hang in there, you will be saved."
“娃……娃娃……妈妈……来不及……啊……”
" Baby, baby, Mama didn't make it in time."
“我唱歌就不会觉得痛。”
"If I sing, I won't feel pain."
“我相信我爸爸会那样做，他就是那样的人，即使对不起家里，他也不会对不起学生。”
" I believe my father would do that, he is that sort of a person. Even if he let his family down, he would never let his students down."
“摘下我的翅膀，送给你飞翔。”
"Take down my wings for you so you may soar."
“不要睡着了。”
"Don't fall asleep."
“下面一片漆黑，我怕。我又冷又饿，只能靠看书缓解心中的害怕！”
"It was pitch dark down there, I was scared. I was cold and hungry and only reading alleviate my fear in my heart!"
"你们别管我了，这里危险，放弃我吧，你们去救别人！"- An old lady Yang Yunfen 杨云芬 had been trapped for hours and was in terrible pain. A female doctor looked on as Yang held a sharp piece of glass and slit her wrist. The astonished doctor tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding but it was too late. She watched on as Yang pulled off the gold wedding band from her finger, swallowed it and died before her eyes.
" Don't bother about me, it is dangerous. Give up on me, go save someone else!"
Day 14 May 25 2008, Sunday
Death toll: 62,621
Injury toll:347, 701
Total number of aftershocks : 8, 231
Number of aftershocks measuring more than 4: 178
At one dead and 260 injured in the strongest aftershock since May 12
At 4,21pm local time, an aftershock measuring 6.4 took place. It was felt in Chengdu as well as Chongqing. More buildings and roads have collapsed.
The occurence of aftershocks was studied by Japanese geophysicist Fusakichi Omori in 1894. The Omori law state a formula which basically found that the number of aftershocks drop over exponentially over time following a major earthquake. This has described the aftershock trends following most major earthquakes since then.
According to a study by scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory based on the October 15 , 2006 quakes in Hawaii,
... on October 15, there were about 74 significant aftershocks to the (magnitiude) M6.7 earthquake. This number decreased to about 11 the following day, and to 8 on October 18. Now, seven weeks later, we are seeing only 1-3 earthquakes per day in the region.Aftershocks occur geographically near the mainshock ( the initial earthquake), usually on the same, or on a nearby, fault. The smaller earthquakes typically represent minor readjustments as stresses caused by the earthquake relax along the part of a fault that slipped during the mainshock.
The total number of aftershocks generally scales with the magnitude of the mainshock. In other words, bigger mainshocks are followed by more aftershocks. Aftershock sequences can last for many years following a very large earthquake, and aftershock durations vary in different parts of the world.
For example, current projections show that aftershocks following the 1995 Kobe, Japan, earthquake, which was similar in magnitude to the M6.7 October 15 earthquake, will probably continue until about the year 2018. Aftershocks from the December 26, 2004, M9.3 Sumatra earthquake may occur for several decades. (emphasis added)
... although the number of aftershocks decreases over time, there is no way to predict their magnitudes. Aftershocks can be felt for months after a major earthquake, with the smaller events lasting years or even decades. The largest aftershock is usually about a full magnitude less than the mainshock.
Thunderstorms are expected in the quake areas over the next two days, hampering relief efforts.
Update on international assistance from foreign governments
Officials say rescue teams have been received from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ten medical teams of 271 personnel have also been sent from Russia, Japan, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Cuba.
A total of 23 countries have sent 1,621.9 tons of material aid. Of these,
148.83 rons of tents, blankets and medication came from Russia,
75 tons of tents, blankets and food came from Saudi Arabia,
2,300 tents from Pakistan,
1,000 tents from the Philippines,
277 tents, 560 kg of medication and medical equipment, 6,000 gloves, over 53,000 pieces of clothng and 1,750 kg of tea from Sri Lanka
and 30 tons of food, tents and medication from Indonesia.
An official team of 300 has been set up to audit the donations received for relief purposes.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Almost two weeks after. This video reminisces about some of the most iconic and heartbreaking moments since the tremor struck.
The individual scenes
0:05 Premier Wen Jiabao look on as rescuers try to save a student
0:11 Two parents find the body of their child
0:20 A lady looks on helplessly at her trapped husband
0:28 A secondary school student holds on tight to a pen in the hand, to the death
0:36 Parents mourn and burn offerings to their deceased children
0:46 A 20 year-old rescued after 125 hours
0:58 Parents searching for their children in the rubble
1:05 A soldier takes care of a baby he found
1:15 A child salutes his rescuers
1:22 Graffiti on fallen walls
1:30 Tired soldiers taking a snooze
1:38 The national flag dances among the rubble, as the last structure standing in a secondary school
1:52 Children holding up signs of encouragement as the relief workers pass them by
1:57 Reunion
2:07 A soldier feeding a baby
2:15 A student holds onto his classmate's hand, urging his friend on as they wait for rescuers
2:24 Two soldiers carrying a child who has lost her parents to safety
2:36 The first victim whose rescue was captured on film
2:44 A father wails, surrounded by bodies of children laid out on a schoolyard
2:55 Two children are fed at a shelter point
3:04 A mother waited only to find the body of her child
3:13 A woman is forced to give birth in the open as her husband stays by her side
3:23 Soldiers risking their lives under risky conditions
3:33 Husband consoles their mourning wives
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Day 13 May 24 2008, Saturday
Death Toll: 60, 650
Injury Toll: 352,290
Missing Toll: 26,221
Human traffickers busted for kidnapping babies from quake areas
Police in China busted a gang of five young women and one man for kidnapping babies from quake affected areas. They were first seen carried babies into a hotel and the proprietor's suspicions were aroused when the babies were all silent and asleep.
When they were questioned at the police station the women claimed to be mothers of the babies taking a train out of town to look for relatives. When their bags were searched, the police found nothing apart from diapers, milk powder and sleeping pills used to drug the babies.
The women later revealed that they were promised 1,500 yuan (about US$ 210) for each baby they smuggled out.
Adoption trafficking has been a lucrative form of illicit human smuggling activity in China, which is a popular country of choice for overseas couples looking to adopt. In the US alone, 5, 453 Chinese babies were adopted last year.
On average couples pay between US$20,000 and 25,000 to adopt a child. The problem arises when babies less than a year old are either sold by their parents or abducted and turned over to unorthodox orphanages for US$100 each. These orphanages then receive US $300 for every child that is placed.
Local police say they have found 37 such cases in the quake-affected areas.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visit a tent-making factory in Zhejiang Province
The factory had taken on the manufacture of 36,000 tents for the affected areas. 500 machines and 800 workers are operating 24 hours to rush production.
Day 12 May 23 2008, Friday
Death Toll: 55,740
Injury Toll: 292,481
Missing Toll: 24, 960
Number evacuated: 11, 367,929
Number of aftershocks measuring more than 4 : 175
The Chinese government releases figures associated with the relief efforts, demonstrating the massive scale of the operation.
Official figures as at 12 noon local time.
At the hospitals,
Number being treated for injuries: 73, 939
Discharged: 38,683
Died in hospital: 3,451
Funds received:
Donations pledged from within China and abroad: 24.644 billion yuan (US$ 3.52 billion)
Donations actually received: 169.24 billion yuan ( US$ 2.417 billion)
Additional funds allocated by Chinese government for relief efforts : 14.629 biliion yuan ( US$ 2.089 billion)
Relief items:
Number of tents sent to affected areas: 443, 340
Collapsable housing 18, 334
Blankets : 2, 319, 3470
Clothing: 3, 074, 526
Medical personnel on hand: 86, 517
Fuel oil : 315, 000 tons
Coal : 679,000 tons
Beijing releases guidelines for adopting quake orphans
The Ministry of Civil Affairs' hotline has been inundated with over 8,000 phone calls enquiring about adoption procedures for quake orphans. In response, Beijing says relief workers and local officials are still checking identities and working to reunite children with their families. Even if both parents are deceased it is also not unusual for Chinese children to be taken care of by their extended families, which may be living in other provinces.
So far the total number of actual orphans stands at around 80 and officials are still holding out hope to return the children to their own families, amidst the massive resettlement efforts going on.
Local media have widely publicised the cause of children affected by the quake and there has been much outpouring of concern and sympathy for the disasters' younger victims. Several families who are more well-off due to China's strict one-child per family policies, feel they are capable of providing a good environment for the children.
For the time being, those who wish to help the children are being advised that they can also help to donate to families and sponsor studies. At the same time, the central government has released the criteria and procedural guidelines for adoption.
Criteria for the adopting party:
1. Must be 30 years old and above
2. Meet basic criteria eg: received higher education, be able financially, have no bad records)
3. Be proven medically fit for adopting a child ( have no terminal, severe or infectious disease)
4. Those married must have the consent of both spouses.
5. Single men adopting girls must have an age gap of at least 40 years between them.
An orphan up for adoption is defined as a child under 14 years of age, who has lost both parents. Anyone adopting a child above the age of 10 must have the consent of the child.
Those wanting to adopt an orphan need to apply with the state or provincial social welfare organisation. Those seeking to adopt orphans being taken care of by close family may contact their respective guardians.
The hotline for enquiries is : 96156.
Right now, it is believed that the government will be dealing with domestic adoptions first. Those overseas wishing to adopt may have to wait.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
"I want you to regain the life you had before, claiming the promise of this life."
Veteran singer/actor Andy Lau re-penned the lyrics of Canto-pop band Beyond former hit, and Hong Kong's biggest names, singers, actors, past and present, came together to release a single titled "Promise" showing support and urging for donations to help the quake victims.
This video is a tribute to specially to the children of the Sichuan Earthquake.
The lyrics
(Chinese President Hu Jintao conveys to the people of Hong Kong his gratitude.)
How many people, how many people's happiness was stolen
How many lives were buried in a moment
All became silent, tears glistened in the eyes.
The dust was filled with disillusionment.
(I'd rather it was me.)
Don't have to say it, but you still have me behind you
Even if the future is difficult, I will still be there with you.
You and me, we are not weak when we bear the weight
The more we proceed the easier it will be.
( You still have me)
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
I want you to regain the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
( Chinese premier Wen Jiabao: You were fortunate to survive, you must live on well.)
Don't have to say it, but you still have me behind you
Even if the future is difficult, I will still be there with you.
You and me, we are not weak when we bear the weight
The more we proceed the easier it will be.
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
( When one side has a problem, all sides will help.
We support you.
Hope you who are far away hear our voices and know that our hearts are with yours
Our good friends in Sichuan, hang in there
We got your back.
All the victims don't give up, we are always supporting you,
Your lives will be rebuilt
We support you....)
Though the mountains shake and the earth rumbles
we must calmly prevail
There is you and there is me.
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
(We are the world)
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
(We are the world)
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
Anyone would fear facing the dark corners
For you, I will not hide even if it got tough.
I want you to revert to the life you had before
Claiming the promise of this life.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Day 11 May 22 2008, Thursday
MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE ARE CONFIRMED DEAD IN THE SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE
Death toll: 55, 239
Injury toll: 281,066
Missing toll: 24,949
Number of houses destroyed: 11.394 million
Stranded: More than 5 million
Desperation drive quake survivors to hijack relief supplies
An increasingly dire need for supplies have caused some quake survivors to hold up aid workers bringing in supplies to the affected regions.
The Chinese military has been bringing in food since it managed to clear the roads but demand is outstripping supply. Aid workers were temporarily prevented from using the reopened roads after inexperience on the part of some ended up impeding the flow of traffic. Access has now been restored.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has returned to Sichuan to oversee relief efforts and visit the survivors. Wen had arrived in the province the very night of the quake and his tireless inspection of the various areas hit by the disaster in the days that followed has won him the respect of many Chinese, who have expressed their admiration on the net, blogs and media.
Speaking at a village, he said,
"我知道，许多家庭失去了亲人，这个悲痛是巨大的。但是我们要化悲痛为力量，重新把家乡建设好，建设一个新的北川，这也是对逝去亲人最好的慰藉。”
“活着的人要加倍努力，更好地工作。我相信大家能做到：忍住心中的哀痛，振作起精神来"
" I know, many families lost loved ones, this agony is enormous. But we must turn the agony into strength, rebuild the homes and rebuild a new Beichuan (the area hit by the quake), this is the best consolation for family who have passed on.
"Those living must work harder, work better. I believe we can all do it: bear the pain in our hearts, and revive our spirits."
China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has published a statement of the donations consolidated for the victims of the Sichuan quake on its official website. According to official figures, as of 12 noon today, it had received 50.239 million donations to its account and 1.38 billion yuan (US$190 million)
A 38-year-old woman Cui Changhui survives after 216 hours. Colleagues had initially been tried to pull her out from the rubble but when more buildings collapsed around her, they could not reach her.
Since then she has been living on worms and grass and drinking her own urine. An old man found her and had been bringing her water. However he was too weak to carry her out and had to wait till she was discovered by a helicopter rescue team.
When she was asked what made her persevere, she said,
" I wanted to survive. I knew they would come for me. I have family, I must live on"
34 lakes have been formed by rivers dammed by landslides triggered by the quake and aftershocks. Experts say eight of the larger ones may be susceptible to collapse into surrounding areas, and survivors are being evacuated. Sichuan is home to the 735 km-long Min Jiang, a tributary that flows through the mountainous northern to central region of the province into the Yangzi River.
ＶIDEO OF THE DAY
One of the three pandas unaccounted for in the affected Wolong Panda Reserve has been located.
This video is of a news report on the status of the pandas after the quake. Sichuan is home to China's panda breeding programme.
Immediately after the quake struck, workers rounded up the pandas in the reserve and placed into cages with the intention of evacuating them to safety. Most of them were fine, apart from being brown with dust. Ｔhe workers tried driving out to find help but to no avail. Ａlmost 20 pandas were kept in a wooden hut for a fitful first night's rest.
The next day they were fed milk and treated for injuries. Eight of them will be sent to Beijing. As of now, over 40 pandas are being taken care of at a research centre in the provincial capital Chengdu.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Day 10 May 21 2008, Wednesday
Death toll: 41, 353
Injury toll: 274, 683
Missing toll: 32, 666
Pandas in the Wolong Reserve are changing their diets to adapt to the crisis.
The diet of China's giant pandas are notoriously exclusive to bamboo shoots but it seems the earthquake has made them more malleable to trying other foods. On average a panda consumes 10 to 18 kg of bamboo shoots a day but with the shortage in the reserve, they have been fed and are eating rice porridge and apples as well.
Officials are taking care of the pandas which had been evacuated from other parts of the affected province, the country's main panda conservation sites. They say a lot of the cubs appear to have been traumatised by the quake. The keepers at the reserve have been holding them in their arms, talking to them, calling them by name and generally trying to calm them down. The cubs are said to be holding on tight, not willing to let go of their human guardians.
Photo
A 102-year-old lady Wang Wenxiu has miraculously survived, after being rescued on the 20th of May from the rubble. Her situation has stabilised after doctors treated her at the hospital but is still suffering from fractures. Together with her was Zhang Xueyun, herself 90 years old.
Live report
VIDEO OF THE DAY
There is a sentimentality among the Chinese beneath their stoic appearances that is rarely shown to outsiders and sometimes lost in translation. But it is there in their literature, their songs, their poetry, their hearts.
Also seldom seen, the individuals that make up the People's Liberation Army. Powerful in their numbers, usually expressionless, in the process of carrying out their current mission in Sichuan, they showed that they are more than just a faceless force.
20 seconds into the start of the video, a message reads,
“Every photo, every word, is a tear.
We will record all of this, to remember those who died,
to thank the people who used every way to show love and concern,
and most of all to tell those who survived,
'Your homes are gone, but you still have 1.3 billion loved ones.
At this moment,
we are all Sichuanese.'”
And the harp, the piano, the bagpipes play on, to images of a male TV commentator moved to tears, rescuers carrying those injured to safety, those trapped in crevices, those mourning, those surviving...
The lyrics
Wings in the dark
After the dark night, and the sun will rise
After the storm, there will be sunny weather
Let us move forward hand in hand
The rainbow is in our hearts.
The journey of life will see winds and rain
Use the tears to nurture the courage of life
Use hope, turn it into wings in the wind
Let dreams take away all sorrow.
You accompanied me through tall mountains and great seas
My heart sings only with you
I will give up all my stubbornness and pride
I believe in you, because I believe in love.
The journey of life will see winds and rain
Use the tears to nurture the courage of life
Use hope, turn it into wings in the wind
Let dreams take away all sorrow.
You accompanied me through tall mountains and great seas
My heart sings only with you
I will give up all my stubbornness and pride
I believe in you, because I believe in love.
You accompanied me through tall mountains and great seas
My heart sings only with you
I will give up all my stubbornness and pride
I believe in you, because I believe in love.
The journey of life will see winds and rain
Use the tears to nurture the courage of life
Use hope, turn it into wings in the wind
Let dreams take away all sorrow.
Generation Gap
It had been a common lament of China's older generation, that the young people of today have not been through hard times and enjoy a life of ease. But that one May day seems to have turned that thinking on its head.
Collectively, they are known as the "after-80s" and the "after-90s". They are the teens and twenty-somethings of today. You could think of them as the Generation X-ers of China, well kind of. The general mentalities and beliefs of both are diverged from those of their parents. But while Gen X, as depicted and popularised by Douglas Coupland's Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, spoke mostly of a post-war bunch, somewhat dropping out of society to "find themselves", the "after-80s" and the "after-90s" seem ready to put on previously-cut identities, not unlike what Starbucks, MacDonalds and Gucci have sent to their shores, growing up as China opened its doors to economic liberalisation.
One of the latest crazes in China had been a drama series, syndicated to every provincial TV network affiliate in China from Beijing to Xinjiang, called 奋斗 or Struggle. It was like a seriousus version of US sitcom Friends, and Chinese audiences followed six new graduates through their careers, partner-swopping, turbulent love lives and various get rich(er) plots, orthodox and otherwise.
As parents watched with their children, many began to discover that their own offspring are now living in a world vastly different from theirs. Instead of a closed socialist state that emphasised the communal, now young people are finding themselves in an increasingly capitalistic society, focused on the individual. Chinese values of family and love have now given way to thoughts and behaviour they associated with the foreigners. Of course it didn't help that these products of China's One Child Policy were pretty much in their minds " spoilt rotten" by their parents.
The older generation lingered over the chasm that stood between them from their children but the Sichuan quake made them think that perhaps, the divide was not, and is not as great as they previously thought.
Of the many inspiring stories that emerged, many starred this individualistic generation of "after-80s" and "after-90s".
" If I got saved but didn't save anyone, I would have felt ashamed." That was the thinking that drove 12-year-old Chen Hao back into his own primary school to rescue others who were still trapped.
The tall boy had managed to get out but looked back and saw a fellow student he did not know close to a wall of a few metres. He went back to get her, pushing her to safety and ended up being stuck from his back down, when the wall collapsed for more than 20 hours. Almost delirious with a fever of 40 degrees Celsius, he muttered that he had got to her in time and that he was going to bear it and was not going to cry. Also holding back his tears was Chen Hao's father."He didn't have to do it but he did."
Senior high student An Peng was rescued after more than 40 hours. One of his legs had been so badly crushed it it had to be amputated before they could get him out. While he was being stretched to be treated, he just kept shouting repeatedly, "There are still many many others inside!"
That was why he ended up limp. He had already left the building when the quake shook but he realised that his school mates were still inside and he went back in to help.
CCTV reported the story of an 18-year-old soldier in the Chinese army, part of a mission to evacuate those trapped on top of a mountain to safe ground. On the first day, his side began to hurt but he did not know why. Ignoring the pain, he carried on. At one point when he was carrying a weight of almost 200 kg with five other soldiers along a narrow mountain path just two metres, he almost slipped and fell down the ravine, had he had held on to a tree.
Finally on the third day, he could no longer bear the pain and asked the medics for some anti-inflammatory medication. They told him he had to go to the hospital and it was there that they found out his small intestine had ruptured and become disconnected. Three hours more and his condition would have been critical.
Reporters asked him if it was worth it, risking his life for so many who would not even remember his face. He replied that one day he would be old and he would remember that he had helped save many lives. For that it was worth the hardship.
Popular blogger Hanhan, himself an "after-80" wrote that he was going to show his concern not through donations but actually going there to help. He came back and wrote about his experience and urged his readers to give what was most needed.
In the main universities in Beijing, the day after the quake struck, blood donation drives were initiated by the student bodies. The lines of people waiting to give blood measured hundreds of metres. They could choose to give 200 ml or 400 ml. Most chose the latter.
Beijing's downtown districts like Wangfujing and Xidan were so congested with people looking to donate blood that vehicles had trouble passing, a majority of those who gave were also the "after-80s" and "after-90s".
The daughter of the teacher who sacrificed his life by placing his body above four students expressed incredible sensibility in her moment of loss.
"如今，我对爸爸的情感不仅仅是尊敬、思念，还有悔恨。”“我悔恨的是, 因为贪玩
很晚回家；悔恨的是，在大学念书时没能天天都往家里挂个电话……”"每个人都能明白，家人健在就是最大的幸福。而对于我的爸爸，我要代替他撑起这个家，照顾好阿姨和妹妹。”
"Now, what I feel towards my father is not only respect, longing but also regret. I regret going home late because I was playful, I regret not calling home everyday when I was away at university.
Everyone can understand, having their families intact is the greatest happiness. For my father I will support this family on his behalf, taking good care of Aunt and little sister."
A local fund brought three high school student survivors to Beijing, where many waited to help sponsor them and settle them in the capital. At a press conference, one of them declined.
At an academy in Shandong province its staff and students created a mass human formation of the word 川 or Chuan encompassed in a heart, signifying Love Sichuan at a memorial for the quake victims. (See photo here.)“如果在平时，能到北京来上学是我做梦都想的事情。现在，我不可能留在北京，我一定要回家乡。”
"我们要去做志愿者。要回去告诉同学们，别害怕，别放弃，大家没有
忘记我们，都在关心我们。”
"Normally, one of the things I always dreamt about coming to university in Beijing. But now, I cannot stay here. I have to return to my hometown."
"We want to be volunteers, to go back and tell our classmates not to be afraid, not to give up, everyone has not forgotten about us, they do care for us."
The massive scale of this disaster is matched and perhaps exceeded by the sense of comraderie it fired up among China's young people for the victims, while at the same time fuelling the flames of nationalism, ignited already by indignation over what they perceived as unfairly hostile international reception of the Olympic torch relay.
The Chinese web community and blogosphere erupted with discussions about the quake, as young people still closely watching the situation in Sichuan, tried to express their emotions the best way they knew how, like editing images of the tragedy to song and posting them on youtube.
They show it differently but in their own manner, they perhaps showed that deep down, the ties that bind them to their parents, to their culture have not completely vanished.
This is just one of the many videos posted on youtube, put to 牵手 or Holding Hands, a song by a veteran Chinese singer which has become very popular among young people today. Appropriately, it has also been given an old-school feel by the producer of the video.
The lyrics are as follows, with English translation after.
因为爱着你的爱
因为梦着你的梦
所以悲伤着你的悲伤
幸福着你的幸福
因为路过你的路
因为苦过你的苦
所以快乐着你的快乐
追逐着你的追逐
因为誓言不敢听
因为承诺不敢信
所以放心着你的沉默
去说服明天的命运
没有风雨躲的过
没有坎坷不必走
所以安心的牵你的手
不去想该不该回头
也许牵了手的手
前生不一定好走
也许有了伴的路
今生还要更忙碌
所以牵了手得手
来生还要一起走
所以有了伴的路
没有岁月可回头
Because I am loving your love,
because I am dreaming your dream,
I am mourning your sorrow,
enjoying your happiness.
Because I walked your path,
I endured your pain,
I am basking in your joy.
I followed what you followed,
because I don't dare hear vows,
because I don't' dare believe promises,
I rest in your silent pledge
to assauge tomorrow's fate.
There's no storm that can be avoided
no difficulty that need not be endured
So I assuredly hold your hand
and not think if I should look back.
Perhaps holding a hand,
it was not easy in a previous life.
Maybe with a companion on the road,
this life will be more hectic.
So holding a hand,
still together in the next
because with a companion on the road,
there is not time to look back on.
Holding hands (From Xinhua Pictoral)
*Stories from this post have been collated from a Xinhua report
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Aid for the quake victims from individual countries
Donations from individual countries, in ascending order of declared value.
* all amounts in US dollars unless otherwise stated.
This is a list where it was an honour to appear at the bottom.
Saudi Arabia comes in last with $ 50 million. Close to the bottom as well, India with $ 5 million. There were also a few surprises. Cambodia - a country with a per capita income of $ 1,800 came forth with $100,000. Thailand, per capita income $ 8,000 donated $500,000 and Malaysia $1.5 million, showing up richer (neighbouring) nations.
Albania: $40,000.
Mongolia: $50,000.
Cambodia: $100,000.
Poland: $100,000.
Samoa: $100,000.
Slovenia: 100,000 euros. ($150, 000)
Vietnam: $ 200,000.
Singapore: $200,000. *
New Zealand: NZ$500,000 ($404,900) to Red Cross for aid.
France: 130,000 euros ($195,000) of relief materials, on top of initial cargo plane that carried 250,000 euros (about $386,000) worth of materials to Chengdu.
Germany: 500,000 euros (about $772,000).
Belgium: 650,000 euros ($1 million)
Canada: C$1 million (about $1 million) through Red Cross.
Morocco: $1 million
Malaysia: $1.5 million
Spain: One million euros ($1.5 million). A plane load of aid materials arrived on Saturday.
United States: $1 million worth of materials on top of $500,000 initial contribution. Two U.S. military planes arrived in Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu on Sunday with food, tents and other aid.
Australia: Doubled initial contribution to A$2 million ($1.9 million) on Tuesday
Britain: 1 million pounds ($1.95 million)
Turkey : $2 million
Italy: 1.5 million euros ($2.3 million) of relief materials, on top of initial 500,000 euros (about $772,000) aid.
European Commission: 2 million euros ($3.10 million)
Japan: $4.8 million in cash and goods. #
India: $5 million.
South Korea: $4 million worth of relief goods announced Tuesday, in addition to $1 million already pledged.
Saudi Arabia: $50 million cash; $10 million of aid materials started arriving Tuesday.
*Plus one rescue team.
#Plus two rescue teams.
Aid in Kind
Jordan: Sending planeload of aid.
Pakistan: Two military planes arrived in Chengdu on Friday evening carrying tents, blankets, bottled water and medicines.
Philippines: Plans to send a medical team.
Russia: Four plane-loads of 130 tons of relief material. On Friday a plane carrying the 49 Russian rescue and medical personnel arrived; on Tuesday more medical staff arrived.
Ukraine: 25 tons of carrying tents, blankets, quilts, medical equipment and instruments. Second batch to arrive 22 May.
From Chinese communities in the region
Hong Kong:
HK$316 million ($40 million) from the government, after further HK$5 million announced Tuesday. HK$30 million ($3.8 million) from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Macau:
100 million yuan ($14.3 million) from the government and 10 million yuan from the Macau Foundation.Taiwan:
T$2 billion ($71 million) from the outgoing Democratic Progressive Party government; T$2.2 billion from public.
Sources: Reuters, People's Daily, Xinhua and various other Chinese media. This list is correct as of May 21, 2008 and is by no means exhaustive.
Donating directly to China - The Party leadership speaks out
On May 20, the official Xinhua News Agency reports that the Chinese Communist Party leadership has warned members against misusing the funds for earthquake victim relief.
The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has ordered the Party's organization organs at all levels to quickly mobilize Party members and officials at the grassroots level to devote themselves to disaster relief.
As of Sunday, those working with the central government and Party departments and their affiliates in Beijing had donated 868 million yuan (about 124 million U.S. dollars) to the quake areas.
"The quake has been a practical and direct test of Party members, officials and the Party's organizations," Xi said.
Party organs should make comprehensive plans and take all factors -- including saving lives, providing materials, preventing epidemics and rebuilding -- into consideration, he said.
He Guoqiang, secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC ( Chinese Communist Party), asked discipline organs at all levels to intensify supervision over the implementation of the Party's central deployment of disaster relief in quake-hit areas.
He urged discipline organs to make close watch to the storage and management of the fund and materials raised for quake relief and seriously punish any defalcation or embezzlement of the fund and materials.
Chinese embassies all over the world are receiving donations for earthquake victims. Do contact them to find out what is most needed and what they are collecting.
Find the embassy or consulate closest to you.
International Aid Organisations : Help the Earthquake Victims
Please be warned of fraudulent individuals and groups capitalising on sympathy for quake victims.
Those listed here are reputable aid organisations raising money to help the earthquake victims. For each of them, their charitable commitment ( percentage of income used for charitable purposes) for the year 2007 was calculated by Forbes Magazine in its list of 200 largest charities in the US. The calculations were only done on US groups; for international organisations, the score represents the one given to their US office.
From the Forbes report ( Forbes.com, America's 200 Largest Charities by William P Barrett, 11.21.2007)
Charitable Commitment: This measures how much of total expense went directly to the charitable purpose (also known as program support) as opposed to management, certain overhead and fundraising. The average this year is 85%, down 1%...
... We again warn against mindlessly comparing ratios of different kinds of nonprofits, as each has a certain degree of uniqueness. But our data certainly can be helpful in the early stages of an evaluation of any nonprofit--on our list or not. Say you're interested in contributing to a smaller agency that helps the needy overseas. The ratios of several similar larger ones on our list can provide a sense of the norms for such enterprises.
If you are interested in donating, please do contact the respective organisations to ensure the appeals are still going on. This is especially if you would like to offer help in kind, as they would be able to advise better what would be needed and their logistical capabilities in bringing your donations to those you intend to reach.
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
The Red Cross is not listed on Forbes' List of 200 Largest Charities 2007.
In a release drafted by the organisation on May 19 2008
Appeal:How to Help:
Current appeal target: CHF 20,076,412 (USD 19,304,242 or EUR 12,431,215)
Earthquake impact: (as of 18 May 2008)
Source: Chinese emergency response office of the State Council of China
Death toll: 32,476 people
Injured: 220,109 people
Displaced: 4.8 million people
Rooms damaged: 15.7 million rooms*
Collapsed rooms: 312 million rooms*
* As several families often live in the same home in China, damage is assessed by the number
of rooms impacted by the earthquake.
Red Cross Red Crescent response:
• More than 35,000 local Red Cross staff and volunteers have been working
with rescue and medical teams to distribute tents, food, water, clothes and
medicines around the clock.
• Red Cross efforts will target the most affected, paying special attention to
special health and psycho-social needs of the most vulnerable groups such as
children, the elderly, pregnant mothers, the displaced and disabled, among
others.
• More than 87 local and regional Red Cross emergency relief and medical
teams have been deployed.
• A four-member team from the International Federation, composed of a team
leader, health delegate, disaster management officer and a media specialist
arrived in Chengdu on 15 May.
• The International Federation’s earthquake coordination centre has been set
up at Sichuan Red Cross branch headquarters in Chengdu.
• The International Federation will provided emergency support to the local Red
Cross’ relief operations in Mianyang prefecture, one of the most affected
areas.
1. Donate at your local International Red Cross/Red Crescent office. Find it.
2. Donate directly to the International Red Cross Society of China.
You may do a bank transfer to the
Account No: 0200001009014413252
Name: ICBC Beijing Municipal Branch Dong Si Nan Sub-Branch
Address: No.147 Dongsi South St. Beijing, China
Zip Code: 100010
Swift Code: ICBKCNBJBJM
Account No.:7112111482600000209
Name: China CITIC Bank
Beijing Jiuxianqiao Sub-Branch
Address: C&W Tower. No.14,
Jiuxianqiao Street,
Chaoyang District，
Beijing, China
Zip Code: 100016
Swift Code：CIBKCNBJ100
TEL:86-10-64319780
For more info:
Official site of the Red Cross Society of China
The IFC's Sichuan Earthquake disaster site
Oxfam
Oxfam America scores 79% in charitable commitment on Forbes' List of 200 Largest Charities 2007. It does not receive any percentage of its revenue from the government. 90 % of Oxfam Hong Kong's revenue comes from public donations.
Here's Oxfam's statement
Oxfam's response
We are responding to the earthquake through Oxfam Hong Kong which has allocated $1.5 million for emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
Our teams are currently at work in four locations in Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, focusing on assisting survivors in remote rural areas.
The team in Sichuan reports a severe shortage of drinking water in Chengdu, the capital city. We are currently conducting assessments and securing emergency supplies, including from neighboring provinces.
Our team in Gansu reports that the cellular phone system is down in Wudu County. Another team is working in Wen County. Both areas were badly affected in the earthquake."We are targeting remote areas that are not being covered by the government or other relief efforts, as is Oxfam's normal practice in an emergency. We are communicating closely with government units in Sichuan and Gansu to make sure we do not duplicate their efforts, and to use our resources effectively."- John Sayer, Director General of Oxfam Hong KongWe anticipate carrying out a long-term rehabilitation program to provide support in livelihoods restoration and infrastructure recovery.
How to help:
1. Donate online to Oxfam Hong Kong
2. Donate online to Oxfam USA
Contact:
Oxfam Hong Kong
Chair: Kam-keung Tse; Director: John Sayer
17/F., China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2520 2525
Fax: +852 2527 6307
Email: info@oxfam.org.hk
World Vision
World Vision US scores 87 % in charitable commitment on Forbes' List of 200 Largest Charities 2007. It receives 29% of its revenue from government support.
Excerpts from World Vision's statement of their work on the ground in Sichuan, May 19, 2008.
As China enters three days of national mourning for the now 32,000 confirmed dead following the May 12 quake, World Vision continues to distribute aid and survey the needs of devastated communities in Sichuan Province.Our 12 local staff members in Qingchuan County, who began responding almost immediately after the disaster, are finding that temporary shelter remains the most urgent necessity for survivors in hard-hit areas. Tents and shelter materials, mainly plastic sheets, are in greatest need.
"In Mianzhu, a hard-hit region, survivors are camping out on streets, and basic needs like food, tents, and water are seriously lacking," said Mei Mei Leung, World Vision's senior relief officer for China.
In response, World Vision plans to bring in another 4,000 plastic sheets, 3,000 quilts, and 50 tents this week to assist affected communities. This is in addition to the 800 tents, 30,000 quilts, 464,100 kilograms of food, and 2,000 shelter tarpaulins we have already planned to provide to survivors. Distributions have already begun in Qingchuan County, where World Vision conducts a community development program.World Vision's relief team has worked around the clock to conduct post-quake assessment and relief work in several quake-stricken areas. Staff are reporting that many villagers have lost all of their possessions and are grieving over the deaths of their loved ones.
Leung and her team visited more than 1,000 survivors in Shifang County's Deyang City on May 16. They assessed the most urgent needs in the area and distributed child-friendly kits and disaster preparedness manuals to affected children.To address the unique needs of children orphaned or otherwise affected by the quake, World Vision plans to open three Child-Friendly Spaces in the coming days. Games and activities in a safe environment will help children regain a sense of normalcy after their difficult experiences.
Meanwhile, World Vision staff in Qingchuan County had begun a quilt and tent distribution on May 17 when warnings came of the potential flooding from a local river. The staff stopped the distribution and evacuated the area, but after the flood warning was called off by the authorities, World Vision was able to continue distributing quilts and tents to families in Liangshui and Qiaozhuang Townships in the county.
World Vision also remains concerned about children's physical needs, especially in remote areas where aid has just begun to reach.
World Vision plans to reach more than 123,000 survivors with relief and rehabilitation activities totaling about $2 million. Long-term rehabilitation activities will focus on shelter and school reconstruction.
How to Help:
Donate online to World Vision's operations in Sichuan
Contact:Hong Kong Head Office
Unit 809-811, 8/F, Tower 2, Cheung Sha Wan Plaza,
833 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon,
Hong Kong SAR, China
Tel: (852) 2394-5613
Fax: (852) 2394-1578
Beijing Office:
Room 507, Golden Land Building,
32 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District,
Beijing, China
Postal Code: 100016
Tel: (8610) 6467-2270
Fax: (8610) 6467-2321
AmeriCares
AmeriCares scores 99 % in charitable commitment on Forbes' List of 200 Largest Charities 2007. It is fully funded by private donations and receives no support from the US government.
From its website:
AmeriCares emergency response experts are in China meeting with local nongovernmental organizations to assess the health care needs and coordinate our emergency response with local and international charities. We are working with our long-standing partner, the China Primary Health Care Foundation, physicians at Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital and other health care organizations to deliver critical medicines and medical supplies.How to Help:
To maximize our relief efforts and avoid importation delays, AmeriCares is also exploring partnerships with other local non-governmental organizations and multinational pharmaceutical donors with offices in China.
Donate online via credit card to AmeriCare's Sichuan earthquake response fund.
Contact:
AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave.
Stamford, CT USA 06902
1-800-486-HELP (4357)
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps scored 88 % in charitable commitment on Forbes' List of 200 Largest Charities 2007.
From its official website:
Mercy Corps, through its local partners China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) and All China Youth Federation (ACYF), is mounting an emergency response for survivors. Together, we have procured critical supplies such as food, water, clothing and shelter supplies and delivered them to affected families. We have deployed experienced staff members from our Beijing and U.S. headquarters offices to help coordinate efforts.
Mercy Corps is also coordinating shipments of much-needed pharmaceuticals and other critical medical supplies to affected areas.
In addition, our team is coordinating plans for longer-term programming with our local partners. There are great needs for temporary schools, counseling and other activities for children in earthquake-shattered rural areas.
To serve these needs, we are focusing on helping children and youth recover through our Comfort For Kids program. We are translating "My Earthquake Story" — a variation on the "My Hurricane Story" workbook that was used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — into Mandarin Chinese and adapting it specifically for children in Sichuan Province. Senior-level psychologists, including the Chinese American Psychoanalytic Alliance (CAPA), are working with Mercy Corps on the adaptations, translations and training for local teachers and other caregivers. The workbook is appropriate for children of all ages, from toddlers through older youth. Thousands of copies will be distributed as part of the psychosocial program that we're planning to initiate in affected areas.
Two staff members are headed to China in the coming days to help begin and implement psychosocial activities. Through its Comfort for Kids methodology, Mercy Corps has worked with post-trauma children around the world in trying to help them regain some sense of normalcy.
Mercy Corps has been assisting families and vulnerable communities in China since 2001. One of our programs — Project GLOW — is centered in Sichuan Province, the epicenter of the earthquake. We have confirmed that our staff and partners in the area are safe.
How to Help:
2. Call toll-free in the US (888) 256-1900 to donate by phone.
Contact:
Mercy Corps
Dept. W
3015 SW 1st Ave.
Portland, OR 97201 USA
(800) 292-3355
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Day 9, May 20 2008, Tuesday
Death toll: 40,075
Injury toll: 247, 645
Missing toll: 32, 361
Aftershocks measuring over 4 on Richter scale : 159
Donations in cash and kind received from the Chinese public: 1.39 billion yuan (US$ 199 million)
Donations in cash received from the Chinese public: 1.25 billion yuan (US$ 179 million)
Supplies despatched to the affected areas by the government and military ( source: Xinhua)
Tents: 278, 462
Blankets: 783, 984
Warm coats: 1.783 million
Dogs are a woman's best friend
196 hours and that was how long one 60-year-old woman survived. If 196 means little at first glance, what about considering it is almost 5 whole days after the 72-hour window after which experts say the chances of survival are minimal? Her survival is nothing short of phenomenal.
Wang Youxiong had arrived from Chengdu to pay her respects at a local Buddhist temple on April 30, almost two weeks before the quake. She decided to stay for a month more, before going back to celebrate China's Children's Day with her grandson on June 1.
When the quake struck, she was at the temple, and had been fine until a gush of concrete rushed by her and trapped her between two big rocks. For the last eight days she had been subsisting on rain water. Two dogs kept her company, constantly licking her face and lips and kept barking. And it was upon hearing these dogs that the rescuers reached Wang.
Wang was in an astonishingly conscious state after being saved. She even managed to relay her son's mobile phone number to nurses, an amazing feat considering here in China, they consist of 11 digits. Her son was contacted. After days of visiting the area, posting notices on various media, he finally got the call he had been waiting for.
And according to Wang, it had been the thought of her son and two grandchildren that kept her going.
Another man too survived for 178 hours. Pulled out from Ying Xiu township, he appeared to be conscious and was even able to relay his family's contact number to rescuers. In this township alone, 10 people have been saved after being trapped for 100 hours or more.
The business of burying the dead and settling the living
The Department of Civil Affairs addressed queries on the conditions of rescue sites. Records are made and DNA samples taken from the bodies after they are photographed, before they are cremated. The World Health Organisation says there is no health risk associated with the bodies lying in the open, but Chinese authorities are burning or burying the remains nonetheless to preserve the dignity of the dead.
There is also a need to provide shelter for the 5 million who have been left homeless. Factories have added more shifts to cope with the 700,000 more tents which have been ordered by the authorities to house the stranded.
In the midst of the crisis, two groups have been arrested for fraud. Using the name of the Red Cross, they sent out mass SMSes to mobile phones, asking for donations to the cause of the helping the victims.
Among those affected are the pandas in Sichuan's reserves. Apart for three missing ones, the rest have all been evacuated to safety. Sichuan is one of the few provinces left in China to have pandas in the wild.
Latest series of photos of the rescued pandas
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Ａhaunting photo essay with some of the most iconic images of the days gone by since the day the quake struck, set to an instrumental blend of strings and Chinese traditional instruments.
Day 8, May 19 2008, Monday
Death toll: 34, 073
Rescue toll: 245, 108
Injury toll: 52, 934
Aftershocks greater than 4: 155
There's a kind of hush
All over China, three minutes of silence was observed at 2.28 pm, exactly one week after the earthquake struck. Trains stopped running, trading suspended on the stock exchange, cars halted on the roads. 1.3 billion people, so many stood in silence.
On Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the flag was lowered to half-mast, as were flags all over the country, in the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions, and at Chinese embassies and consulates the world over. Immediately after the observance was over, crowds broke out, chanting “ Wenchuan, hang on! Go, China!”
According to Xinhua News Agency, this is the first large-scale state organised mourning since former leader Mao Ze Dong's death in 1976.
This is "live" footage broadcast by Chinese state television after the three minutes of silence.
A 61-year-old woman is pulled out alive after 164 hours. She is suffering from some fractures but her vital signs are reported to be stable. According to her daughter, she had not been in the best of health. She has had to go to the hospital a few times a year and needed to sleep with socks and a sweater on, even in summer.
Local meteorological services are forecasting days of medium to heavy rain in Sichuan which may hamper the progress of the rescue efforts. Residents in Chengdu are spending the night out in the open, amidst local media reports warning of aftershocks measuring 7 on the Richter scale.
Muslim victims in Qingchuan County need halal emergency supplies to be delivered. There are about 10,000 Muslims in the county, including almost 1/3 in the county's Gaoxi Village, population 4,100, where 95% of the dwellings in the village can no longer be lived in.
Schools in various parts of the province remain closed as authorities inspect the quake-worthiness of the buildings. Several schools had collapsed due to poor construction standards, killing scores of children who were in class when the quake struck.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
A memorial montage set to the haunting sounds of the traditional Chinese string instrument, the erhu.
Day 7 May 18 2008, Sunday
Death toll: 32,476 Rescue toll: 220,109
Just for today, Taiwan for China
Two days before he becomes Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou ,mans the phone lines in charity telethon
Networks from China and Taiwan held a joint telecast of a charity telethon, organised by Taiwanese media, where several of the biggest names in Taiwan's entertainment industry took to the phone lines, as the calls from the public flooded in with donations. The island's then president-elect Ma Ying-jeou also joined in with his wife. By the end of the night, a grand total of 227 million Taiwan dollars ( US$ 7 million) was raised for the earthquake victims.
China's Environment Minister assures that no radioactive leakage has taken place from Sichuan's 32 radioactive sources. The province is also home to China's nuclear weapons research efforts, including the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics.
Three pandas are said to be missing from the Wolong Panda Reserve, despite earlier reports that all 63 were accounted for.
Three days of mourning will be held all over China and at Chinese diplomatic missions worldwide, starting tomorrow. The Sichuan government announces that it will be giving 5,000 yuan per death to all families.
China Civil Aviation Authority despatches the world's largest helicopter, the MI-26, to help with rescue relief. It can carry 20 tonnes of supplies. The World Food Programme had previously deployed the same type of helicopter to reach those in the Kashmir Valley affected by a previous earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
A 50-year-old man is pulled out of the rubble alive, after being trapped for more than 140 hours. His condition is stable.
China revises the earthquake from 7.8 to 8.0 on the Richter Scale, after consolidation with international experts.
The China Youth Development Fund has set up a “Hope Primary School” in the earthquake-devastated region. Costing 350,000 yuan ( US$ 50,000) the school will be able to accommodate 600 students in nine classrooms. It has also been constructed to withstand quakes, fire and floods.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Dedicated to the children affected by this disaster.
Earthquake struck twice in the same place
In 1933, a quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale hit the town of Dixi. It was the location of an old town dating back a thousand years. The tremors had been so intense that the mountains on both sides collapsed into the Min River that flows through the region, creating a haizi, or a small lake, measuring 10 km long and 1km across.
The old town was immediately submerged,as were 21 hamlets in the area, killing 6,800 people. Today this lake is a sight of mesmerising beauty, a popular scenic spot for tourists.
Photos of the 1933 quake
