OPINION> Commentary
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OPINION> Commentary
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A small token of love that beggars description
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-22 07:22 Wang Shi, chairman of China's biggest listed developer Vanke, was reported to have forced employees to limit disaster relief donations to just 10 yuan ($1.44), while himself donated 2 million yuan. In stark contrast to the rich who is best known for climbing Mount Qomolangma, a beggar named Xu Chao in Nanjing donated all his savings - 105 yuan for victims of Wenchuan earthquake. Deeply concerned with the earthquake, most people have turned the disaster into a torch relay of love. A small amount as 105 yuan is, the beggar's donation moved not only Nanjing but also the whole of China. In tattered blue clothes and ragged shoes, Xu lent his hand to earthquake victims. No matter how poor he is, Xu is abundant in love and mercy. A beggar as he is in reality, Xu is a hero in aiding the disaster victims. While founder of a giant Taiwan plastics group Wang Yongqing made a generous donation of 100 million yuan, some rich people in the mainland chose to be "iron roosters". Certainly neither can donation be imposed on entrepreneurs, nor love is measured with the amount of donations. Behind both one cent and 1 million yuan is love and caring. However, some rich people's responses to the disaster do not match their social responsibilities. In my view, those rich people are poor in terms of love and sense of social responsibility. They are so poor, with only their money left. Therefore I call on the rich ones to show some charity to the earthquake victims, as they show off all kinds of luxury. Are you really willing to perform worse than a beggar? Chen Wenxiang on blog.xinhuanet.com One hundred hours after the Wenchuan earthquake, Liu Deyun, a weak survivor finally came to himself. After seeing his daughter, Liu pointed to his left wrist on which the scratches read "I owned Wang Laoda 3,000 yuan". The next day Liu gained consciousness, telling his daughter "if I'm dead, that's my last will." Liu was an ordinary factory worker in Hanwang township, which was close to the epicenter. He and his other three friends were buried when they were playing cards. As times passed, Liu became more and more desperate. He said at that time he made his testament in order to pass away without anyone's pity. In darkness Liu was so sleepy that he almost fell asleep "forever". Thinking of smiles of his 3-year-old grandson, Liu heavily slapped himself in the face. Rescuers finally came. What Liu did reflected the Chinese people's emphasis on repaying debt. Liu is a trustworthy man. Zhu Guozheng on qzone.qq.com
All of a sudden we lost our most beloved Being orphans, we find above our heads all dark Our world is changed No one can answer what we ask Our family, our beloved, your words yesterday still warm our hearts We cannot understand what is happening, and nature's cold-blood We cannot live without you, but reality is that we had to be apart Being so far, can you still remember the happy days in our small yard Wailing and crying, we beg you not to leave us in the dark We want to find you However, one second, one minute, one hour passes You cannot reply, but we know you want to get back to us You saved us, giving away your own life, until we were once again pulled out Strong rays bring hopes Are you praying for us, dear Mom But how can you leave us to strangers, dear Mom One day, two days, they say you will never be back, dear Mom We promise not to annoy you anymore, please don't go away, dear Mom We are your children all our lives, and we are missing you so much, dear Mom Zhao Bo On blog.sina.com.cn "I cried twice while I was trapped under the ruins. Once when I worried about whether my wife was still alive and the second time when I heard her singing for me outside the debris," said Mu Yulei, an engineer of the hydroelectric power plant in Yingxiu, who was rescued after being buried for more than 80 hours. When Mu was saved, his 33rd birthday was only three days away. Mu said his wife, whose songs empowered and encouraged him to live in the most difficult time, gave him a second life. Mu recalled that when the earthquake struck, he and his colleagues were having a meeting. They felt the ground was shaking so they started to run from the fourth floor. When they got to the first floor, a huge pillar fell and pinned them down. Two of them died immediately. Mu and the other five people were buried under the pillar. "A body of my colleague was on my back. He was a good friend of mine. My heart ached and I couldn't help but cry when I thought about my wife who was at home when the quake struck. About 10 minutes later, I heard someone was calling from the outside," Mu said. The one who was calling was Cheng Rusong, a colleague of Mu. When the quake hit, Cheng managed to escape with his arms broken. Suffering from the unbearable pain, he went back to look for survivors in the risks of aftershock. About an hour later, a familiar voice coming through the ruins brought Mu into tears again. "It was the voice of my wife. She was still alive. Her name is Huang Li. She was very strong. Knowing that I was trapped under the debris, she didn't cry but sang songs to comfort me and help me stay calm, " said Mu in a choked voice. In the following days and nights, Huang was by her husband's side, talking and singing songs to him while they were waiting for rescue workers to come. Mu said he and his wife got married on the National Day in 1998. This year is their 10th wedding anniversary. "We are going to have a celebration," Mu said with smile on his face. When I saw Huang Li again, she was busy cooking for the rescue workers and soldiers. She said she was happy to know that her husband was safe. She also said although she hadn't slept for several days, she was in good spirit and will continue her volunteer work. Zhao Yahui on blog.sina.com.cn I reminded myself many times that I must not cry in front of my students in the first class after the earthquake. I want them to know that although their teacher's hometown is suffering from the terrible disaster, he is strong enough to face it. But when I showed them the pictures of the devastating event and told them about the heartbreaking and heroic stories in the disaster, tears swelled up in my eyes. I turned back and walked out of the classroom with tears streaming down my face. I plan to leave my students in Shenzhen on Friday for the disaster area in Sichuan, where I will accompany the students who have been rescued from the rubble and to comfort their broken souls. The trip is part of the psychological counseling service for the children in disaster areas organized by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. I might not be worth much but I hope I could bring them love and care and let them know that many people were deeply concerned about them and their future. The children in front of me are enjoying a peaceful and happy life in Shenzhen. But it's hard for me to stay unaffected. Maybe after this class, they would know why their teacher who used to laugh a lot was weighed down with sorrow. I said to my students: cherish every moment in your life and every opportunity to study because in my hometown many children were still buried under the rubble. Many of them were still holding pens and books in their hands when sunlight shunned them for ever. And we will never see their bright smiles and hear their voices again. I didn't assign any homework in class. I told the kids that we would do a special assignment: to fold a thousand paper cranes and stars which will carry the good wishes of them to the children who suffered in the earthquake. When faced with disaster, we believe that love will always be around us. It is really hard for me to control my emotion. When I saw my students enjoying such superior conditions in Shenzhen, my tears swelled for those who were buried in the collapsed school buildings. I know misery is not overcome with tears, so we have to face the disaster strongly. I have never missed my home and my family so badly as now. I believe that we can restore and rebuild our beautiful homes. After school, a note left on my desk read like this: "Teacher, in the days you are away, we will pray for you and the students in Sichuan everyday." My students in Shenzhen are so kind. I will take their prayers and good wishes to the children who suffered in the disaster. I want to use my blog to document this event. I want to tell the stories I saw and heard to my children and grandchildren and let them know that when disaster struck, we wiped our tears away and continued on strongly. Wumengliulangzhe on blog.sina.com.cn The rest of the world seems to inexplicably continue moving, pausing only momentarily to offer their requisite words of condolence and prayer before swiftly moving on to the next news item. But here in Beijing, as in the rest of China, everyone remains motionless and transfixed, unable to pull away from the grief that has consumed the nation. For three minutes on Monday afternoon, all the noise of the world seemed to fade away - the frantic clamor of Olympic construction, the honks and squeals of daily traffic, even the loud moans of distant protesters all fell silent as the nation stood as one, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, in quiet sorrow. Miranda Lin via e-mail (China Daily 05/22/2008 page10) |
