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On Monday evening, candlelight ceremonies were held around the country to remember the victims. Many groups placed the candles in a heart-shaped pattern to show their love and concern for the victims.
The government has announced a three-day period of mourning, during which time the national flag will be flown at half-mast. It is the first time for such a nationwide period of mourning to be held since the death of former Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976.
At the time of this writing, the figures stand at 34,073 dead, 245,108 wounded and nearly 5 million homeless. The casualty figures will definitely increase. The government has also warned that additional tremors might be expected on May 20 or 21, with magnitudes between 6 and 7 on the Richter scale. This would add further difficulties to the already tough job of relocating and providing for the affected people in the disaster zone.
This is the country’s second natural disaster of the year, following heavy snowstorms in January that caused massive power outages and the breakdown of communications and transportation systems. China had not fully recovered from the damage caused by the snowstorms, when the earthquake hit.
After the worst winter in 50 years, China faced the worst earthquake in 32 years. The last quake of this scale was a 7.8 magnitude tremor that shook the city of Tangshan in Hebei province, 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Beijing, in 1976. That quake resulted in the deaths of 260,000 people and many more wounded. The city was completely destroyed, and later rebuilt.
At that time China closed off the disaster area, refusing all aid from foreign governments because of the Chinese concept of saving face, as well as suspicion of the motivations of Westerners who offered help. Accordingly many people were not rescued in a timely manner, leading to higher casualty figures that could be attributed to manmade causes.
This time the reaction of the government was swift and efficient. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was at the center of the disaster area within hours. His sense of urgency in dealing with the rescue as well as his tears of sympathy moved the Chinese people so much. Many ordinary people compared him to former Premier Zhou Enlai, who is remembered for his concern for the nation and the people. Zhou died in 1976.
The earthquake has generated a great wave of patriotism, much greater than the Olympic torch relay activities or even the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, which take place in August. The Chinese people have become much more united in the face of this national tragedy than they have been in decades.
The earthquake has brought to the fore the resilient character of the Chinese people in the face of hardships, as well as their capacity to step forward in a crisis and assist one another. It has shown the responsible attitude of the current government, as well as its ability to organize and carry out a massive emergency operation with impressive speed. The suffering of their compatriots has united the people in a great wave of sympathy and compassion, and the sacrifices of the soldiers, police and aid workers have inspired in them a strong sense of pride and appreciation.
One cannot help but contrast China’s response to this disaster with Burma’s lack of response in the face of an equally devastating disaster that struck the country May 2 in the form of Cyclone Nargis. The death toll from the cyclone and its aftermath is estimated at 120,000, with many more injured. Many of these deaths are attributed to the government’s failure to warn the people, its failure to provide adequate relief after the storm, and its total rejection of all foreign assistance. In fact, the number of casualties continues to rise more than two weeks after the storm, as people remain homeless and illness is spreading.
The Chinese government has been exceptionally open, transparent and efficient in its response to the disaster. Casualty figures are announced every day, domestic and foreign journalists have been allowed into the disaster area, and foreign rescue teams have been welcomed from Japan, Russia, Singapore and South Korea. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan have also contributed people and funds to support the relief work.
The site of foreign aid workers searching for survivors and bodies amidst the rubble has shown both domestic and international audiences that people’s common humanity comes first in times of disaster. This is a welcome sight following the recent clashes between Chinese and foreign demonstrators during the torch relay in various cities around the world. Anti-China demonstrations had given many Chinese people the impression that the world was against them. But the current cooperation, the inflow of relief funds and materials from around the world, and the expressions of sympathy for the Chinese people in cities around the world have painted an entirely different picture.
The U.S. Senate passed a resolution on Monday to mourn the loss of life in China’s earthquake and express condolences to the Chinese people. European leaders visited the Chinese Mission to the European Union in Brussels on Monday to express their sympathies, and leaders around the world sent messages of condolence to the Chinese leadership. The outpouring of support has been huge.
It can be said that this humanitarian disaster has brought China closer to the world. It has shown the human face of the Chinese people to the world, and the human face of the world to the Chinese people. Their common humanity overrides political and ideological differences.
These events reveal that the world is in fact interdependent in this era of globalization. People of different nationalities, races and backgrounds can cooperate without friction when human lives and human welfare are at risk. It is too bad that it has taken a disaster of such magnitude to drive home this lesson.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a Ph.D. candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. His research interests focus on conflict management and identity construction. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@gmail.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
