Damage and Recovery After the Wenchuan Earthquake
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DAMAGE AND RECOVERY AFTER THE WENCHUAN EARTHQUAKE Zeng Guohua At 14:28 on May 12, 2008, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Wen- chuan County, Sichuan Province. It was the most destructive earth- quake affecting the most people since the founding of New China. Huge economic losses and a catastrophic number of casualties were caused by the disaster. By 12:00 on September 25, it had been con- fi rmed that 69,227 people were dead, 374,643 were injured, and 17,923 were missing. I. Teachers’ Souls—Moving Heaven and Earth During the devastating natural disaster, when the sky was falling and the earth was cracking open, many heroic teachers sacrifi ced their own lives to protect their students. With blood and life, they upheld the honorable title of “teacher,” winning the respect of all of China. In Hanwang County, Deyang City, Tan Qianqiu, Dean of Students at Dongqi Middle School, used his body to protect the students. When his body was found by rescuers, he was bent over a desk with out- stretched arms, shielding four students. All four were saved. Yan Rong, a female teacher from Minzhu Central Primary School in Shigu County, Shifang City, lost her life after saving 13 students, leav- ing her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter motherless. Yuan Wenting, from the same school, carried her students one by one from the third fl oor to the fi rst fl oor. As she was rushing back to the third fl oor for the last time, the entire building collapsed. Her young life ended at 25. Wang Zhouming, a teacher from Hongbai Township Central School of Shifang City, directed his students to escape from his classroom’s front and rear doors. Seeing the building collapsing, he rushed forward to push a female student out of the classroom, while he himself was struck on the head by a thick crossbeam. Wu Zhonghong, a teacher at Huaiyuan Township Middle School of Chongzhou City, evacuated his students by fi rmly holding the shaking 28 zeng guohua doorframe in place while they escaped. He then ran against the fright- ened crowds to the fourth fl oor and successfully saved one student there. In the end, he fell down and was buried in the ruins. Li Jiaping, a teacher from Beichuan Middle School in Mianyang City, also held a shaking doorframe in place in order to let more students escape. As the building was collapsing, Mr. Li used all his strength to push one more student out to safety. However, he did not make it out alive. Pu Bin, a 28-year-old Geography teacher from Juyuan Middle School in Dujiangyan City, was married just six months prior to the earthquake. When the earthquake struck, he was standing on the plat- form nearest to the door. He did not try to escape himself, but instead urged his students to evacuate. Although most of the students in his class made it out alive, he was buried in the debris. Gou Xiaochao, a 24-year-old teacher from Yong’Anba Village Pri- mary School in Bazhong City, came to the countryside as a voluntary teacher after he graduated from the university. May 12 was the fi rst day he worked after his wedding. As he was rushing to the third fl oor for the third time to rescue two more students, the teaching building collapsed. Lying in a pool of blood, he pointed to the top of the build- ing, saying with great diffi culty, “on the top . students are there . .” Many teachers were found in the ruins with their arms outstretched, their last gesture. Below their dead bodies were their grateful students. Xiang Qian, a 21-year-old woman teacher at Longju Primary School in Shifang City, was called “sister Xiao Xiang” by her pupils. Despite her proximity to the door, she did not leave her students, but instead grabbed three children and ran toward the outside. As a result, her body was broken into three pieces. In her arms were three students who were already dead. Tang Hong, a 26-year-old Chinese teacher at Hongbai Township Central School in Shifang City, had a seven-month-old child. He was found with one child in each of his arms and several other children under his torso. The children were found alive. Zhang Miya, a mathematics teacher from Yingxiu Township Cen- tral Primary School in Wenchuan County, was found kneeling in the debris, cradling two students in her arms. After she was killed, her arms became stiff. Rescuers with tears streaming down their faces had to cut off her arms to save the children. Lian Fang from the same school died in a similar position as Zhang Miya. Two students were found alive in her embrace. .