OPINION> Commentary
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OPINION> Commentary
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Come, see the spirit of modern China
By Lau Nai-keung (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-02 08:05 Together with a general surge of patriotism among the Chinese people, the massive rescue operation in the aftermaths of the Sichuan earthquake earned the country grudging respect worldwide. In a recent UN briefing in Geneva, a Western journalist who wanted to pick bones on China's handling of the international media during the calamity was bluntly told to shut up by the UN official, who, by the way, was not a Chinese. As the world can see, international journalists are free to roam the disaster areas and file their reports and images. We have nothing to hide. To the Chinese leadership, saving lives and minimizing hardship have a much higher priority. The emergency program is activated within minutes after the 8 degree earthquake on the Richter Scale breaks out at 14:28 of May 12, and Premier Wen Jiabao is airborne to ground zero one and a half hours later. He stays on the frontline for three days, holding meetings, giving directions and rushing from one disaster area to another amidst aftershocks and landslides, listening and talking directly to the people.
He is later relieved by President Hu Jintao, who has stayed in the capital to organize the airlift within hours after the strike. Several hundred thousand people are directly involved in this massive rescue operation, of which over 100,000 are our People's Liberation Army soldiers, who had successfully accomplished another relief and rescue mission during a severe snowstorm in southern part of the country just two months ago. People are quickly mobilized, following intensely the round-the- clock coverage of the disaster on TV. A construction company immediately rushes its equipment to the affected area, arriving at the same time with the military. Food and supplies flood the entire region from people all over the country to supplement those coming from the government and foreign countries. Behind the half a million people on the frontline, there are 1.3 billion Chinese people, together with 30 million overseas Chinese, as well as millions of kind-hearted people around the world solidly behind them in this battle against time. One variety show on CCTV alone has managed to raise 1.5 billion yuan. A similar amount has also been raised within days in Hong Kong, which sends also its rescue team once the disaster area is accessible. Rescue teams from Japan and Russia are among the first international teams on the site. Thousands of people are dug out of the debris alive. All injured patients receive immediate medical attention and are then systematically transferred to hospitals in neighboring cities, which have made rooms to accommodate them. During this rescue operation, the civic society in China is clearly maturing and showing its prowess. The first priority is to save as many people in the critical 72 hours. Reaching the scattered destroyed villages and towns in successive aftershocks are treacherous missions by themselves. Even the perilous mountain trails are now devastated by the earthquake, and with heavy turbulence, highly dangerous terrains make helicopters difficult to land and parachuting suicidal. Yet, our well-trained and daring soldiers have managed to conquer all the odds, some jump into the unknown after scribbling a will to their loved ones. Within this golden period, practically all spots in the large and scattered disaster area have been covered. Sometimes with bare hands and light tools, soldiers work day and night to save as many lives as possible. This is their strict order. Soon more rescue teams have arrived and are immediately deployed to save more lives. You can share the joy watching on TV a body, not yet sure whether dead or alive, being rushed out of the pile of concrete. Some survivors are recovered after 160 hours of burial and are miraculously still alive. In most cases, the rescuing soldiers have to carry the injured and the aged on foot and hack their way out in mountainous terrain, braving falling rocks. Many of them are not in the rank and file of soldiers, officers of different ranks are all on the firing line. Providing food, temporary shelters and medical services to the million survivors is a massive job, especially on an ad hoc basis and without notice. Yet we have managed almost without a hitch to launch it soon. Like Tangshan 32 years ago, our government will see to it that the new towns and villages will be much better and safer than before. Heroes and their most touching heroic acts spring up many times a day, and many are relayed by reporters with tears and watched with more tears by people all over the world. Calamity of such a large scale is unique in human history, and the subsequent and rehabilitation operation can only be ranked first class. Such a great tragedy and such courage facing it reflect the spirit of modern China. It is built on prolonged period of hardship and sufferings, and our people have determined not to yield to anything, not even to severe snow-storms and violent earthquakes. They can hurt us, take away our loved ones and destroy our homes. They can hurt us badly, but we are not defeated, never. We will hold our tears, bury our dead, look after the injured and the sick, rehabilitate the masses and give them a better future. Yes we will, and nobody can stand in our way. And yes, the Beijing Olympic Games in August are definitely on. We have committed to the hosting of these important international events, and we are resolute to make it the most successful Olympic Games ever. Writing on the day of national mourning, as a Chinese, I can speak from the bottom of my heart of a sentiment which I am sure can represent that of most of my countrymen: we are so proud of our country and our peoples, as we have never been for the past 170 years. Please come and take a look and find out for yourself the reasons why. The author is a member of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (China Daily 06/02/2008 page4) |
