China Earthquake Aftermath: the Waiting Game

The China Teaching Web ^ | 5/14/2008 | Robert Vance

[robertvance]

“I haven’t been able to sleep,” explained a very tired looking student to me in class today. “One of my best friends is attending university near Mianyang and we have so far been unable to get in contact with her. We don’t think she made it.” Thousands of people throughout China are also going without sleep as they desperately wait for information about their friends and loved ones in Sichuan Province. Some cities in Sichuan, such as Wenchuan and Mianyang, have been completely cut off from the rest of China in the wake of the deadly earthquake on Monday. Only in the last few hours have soldiers been able to reach these areas and provide assistance to survivors. For the large numbers of Chinese people who have family and friends in the region, the waiting game is one of desperation and slim hopes.

Some Chinese people have received good news from the West. A teacher in my school today was overjoyed to hear that although their house was flattened by the earthquake, her parents escaped serious injury. Other students were relieved to have heard from close friends and family members who made contact with them this morning. In my school today, there was a mixture of happy and worried faces.

The little platform in front of the television seemed to be a popular gathering spot today. Students are usually only allowed to watch CCTV 9 at the school in order to improve their English but yesterday and today, the TV has been tuned to whatever channel is carrying coverage of the earthquake. Many students have sat in stunned silence as they watch coverage that unlike past disasters, has been relatively raw and unfiltered. The state controlled media in China has provided up-to-the-date casualty reports that seem to reflect reality as well as footage that helps the world to understand the grave scope of the disaster. While the information and images that are being broadcast are generally depressing, the in-depth coverage helps people thousands of kilometers away to feel connected to what is taking place in Sichuan Province.

For many, this torturous waiting game may last for a long time. How will they cope with their worry? Some are turning to prayer although they do not know to whom they are praying. Others are turning to each other for comfort and trying to go about their daily activities. Just like my student today who is waiting for news about her best friend. She did not sleep last night yet she was in my English class this afternoon. She wanted to be there. She wanted to talk to someone.

Around the world, people are praying for the rescuers and survivors. For a few days at least, the Olympics have moved into the shadows and the world’s attention is focused on the tragedy in Sichuan Province. Even the Chinese government has seemed to ‘forget’ about the 2008 games for the time being. Their transparency on the events that are occurring in Sichuan and their willingness to accept foreign aid may signal a new chapter in the way in which the Communist Party rules China. So far, it would seem that the Communist Party is committed to rescuing the survivors and aiding those who are in distress. Let us hope that these strong efforts continue and that as many lives can be saved as is possible in the precious days, minutes, and hours that remain before it is too late.

[hebe]

thanks for you wishes ,
now ,have 14,866 peoples die,and 50,000 peoples disappearance.countless peoples hurt,

[hebe]

thanks for you wishes
chengdu is crowded,and very beautiful.
chengdu is not epicenterm,

[wu guoqiang china]

I am a citizen of China, Sichuan, China's earthquake as at May 14 at 14,000 people have died, but there are still many people did not have been search and rescue, because the mountain landslide, heavy rain coupled with the local road was blocked, It is very difficult to enter the disaster areas, most of the roads into the disaster areas have been opened up, the Chinese central authorities have already sent 100,000 soldiers to the disaster area running the 10,000 soldiers parachuting, Chinese folk contributions have nearly 1.6 billion yuan, I am here Thank all the disaster areas to pray for the Chinese friends in the United States, I understand the English language is not a lot, so I used the online translation of the message you, if you want to know more about China's domestic situation can damage to my e-mail message sent wuguoqiangauto @ 126.com, I will keep China's domestic situation to you, I hope you will help China's disaster-stricken citizens, to help those children! Thank you very much

[CDB]

Check out this WAPO blog:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/pomfretschina/2008/05/chinas_earthquake_chief.html

The author—John Pomfret—was the WAPO’s Beijing Bureau Chief recently.

[keepitreal]

robervance,

We have a little girl waiting for us to come to adopt in Jingzhou, Hubei Province. I have heard of some damage in that area. Is there any truth to that?

Thank you!

Mary

[Lexinom]

This is a tragedy felt on the other side of the earth.

Prayers are with you and the thousands of Chinese impacted.

Please keep us apprised of the situation on the ground, and of anything we can do to help.

[Zhang Fei]

Most English literate Chinese people (and that’s growing by a lot these days, pretty much anyone who is college educated, and even more since English classes are now mandatory from 5th grade onward) are keenly aware and interested in how the West sees China and how news about China are reported and discussed in the West.

I know a number of Chinese college grads. They are not functional in the English language, although they can be said to have had a few years of English language education. It's one thing to take language classes, and quite another to be able to function in the language. This is why the Chinese don't bother blocking English language websites. Another is probably the fact that English language websites don't have enough people with a background in Chinese history and culture at a level sufficient to adequately challenge Chinese shibboleths about Chinese greatness and virtue.

[hebe]

thanks for you!
last night news report:14,866 peoples die ,and countless peoples disappearance and hurt!
today ,we are attention it for always

[robertvance]

keepitreal,

To my knowledge, Hubei province did not suffer any damage from the earthquake. Incidentally, there was a strong hail storm that swept through part of Hubei earlier this week that may have caused some problems. However, I have lived and worked in Jingzhou and my friends there tell me that everything is fine. Congrats on the adoption. Hope everything goes well.

[robertvance]

Zhang Fei, You are exactly right. The Chinese government doesn't focus so much on blocking English websites. Quite frankly, many of my friends in China who do speak English well are still addicted to the state run media here and absolutely refuse to read or believe anything information coming from the West. Here's an article that I wrote about this few months ago entitled

Discovering the True Potential of Learning English in China

[hebe]

thanks for you!
actually ,we are know ,you can’t help our anything,
but ,i know your’s prayer is victims confidence.

[Zhang Fei]

First off, I’d like to tip my hat to you for doing what is essentially missionary work in China - thankless and unremunerative, as well as a real setback in career advancement terms. You’re a better man than I am. Second, if I were in your position, I wouldn’t be posting under my actual name about China on the internet. It’s just unwise, from a visa renewal perspective. At the same time, posting under your real name also means a lot of self-censorship, given that you are probably aware of the red lines. In addition, if there are any (predictably rare) Chinese you know who have heterodox views, you run the risk of endangering their well-being if the political situation changes drastically, as it has repeatedly through thousands of years of Chinese history, even as China’s intolerance of heterodoxy and criticism has remained stubbornly constant.

[don-o]

Another is probably the fact that English language websites don't have enough people with a background in Chinese history and culture at a level sufficient to adequately challenge Chinese shibboleths about Chinese greatness and virtue.

Seriously? They think we just forget about Mao's 40,000,000 victims of his revolutions, purges, great leaps and Five Year Plans?

[Zhang Fei]

Seriously? They think we just forget about Mao's 40,000,000 victims of his revolutions, purges, great leaps and Five Year Plans?

Many Chinese - especially the younger generation - don't believe these accounts even when they come from the mouths of their parents. And when they do, they justify them by either saying that Mao and his cohorts did these things for the good of the people or that their good deeds (mainly the preservation of the Chinese empire - as opposed to China's dissolution into several countries) outweigh their bad.

And here's the thing - if they believe these things, who am I to argue? This is why I don't lose too much sleep over Chinese disasters* - natural or political. The ancient Chinese tradition of parochialism coupled with willful blindness has resulted in one thing - a love of tyrants - as long as they are Chinese. My primary concern is with the possibility that China might attempt to extend its tyranny to new lands by adding new territories to its empire.

* I'm not going to celebrate these disasters the way many Chinese celebrated 9/11 in the days after its occurrence, but it's going to be hard for me to muster up a lot of sympathy.

[keepitreal]

Thank you for the information robertvance! We have been worried, hearing rumors.

[robertvance]

Zhang Fei,

Thank you for your kind words. Robert Vance is not my real name. I have gone to great lengths to protect my identity although I am sure that if someone really wanted to find me, they could. However, I am not always critical of the Chinese government and I do try to present both ‘sides of the story.’ I wake up every morning wondering if my website will be blocked but so far it has been allowed to exist on the Chinese web. I have many Chinese viewers who don’t always agree with my views but are more than willing to engage me in discussion.

[hebe]

chinese progress very quickly at these year! so i hope all people not bias to chinese, if havn't national boundaries.complexion and bias ,world is beautifule!! we are doing better!! 中国加油,四川加油! 坚持不泄!

[John Leland 1789]

中国加油,四川加油! 坚持不泄! ------------------------------ 我们是住在美国人。请你知道我们都天天为四川人祷告祈求。

[hebe]

谢谢，看着这些语言，真的再次落泪！谢谢你们在远方的牵挂与祈祷！ 我是四川人，我父母现在安全的！

[bannie]

That’s pretty.

How many keys on a Chinese keyboard???