During the Qingming Festival [1], the old town of Beichuan was opened for four days, with April 4 being the most crowded day. At 4 p.m. on April 4, there were still many people waiting outside the fence trying to get into the old town. Over 100,000 people came to memorialize their lost family members. Many parents came to the sites of collapsed schools to memorialize their children. The only thing they could do was to cry, either loudly or quietly.
On May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Wenchuan City, Sichuan Province, and caused serious damages. More than half of China’s territory felt the shake. According to the number released by the Chinese authority, nearly 70,000 people died and millions lost their homes during this earthquake.
According to Southern Metropolis Daily, behind the Earthquake Memory Tablet close to the Baoba Middle School is a flat square. Many people who died during the earthquake were buried there. It is called the “pit with ten thousand bodies.” The buildings of Baoba Middle School, which once had over 300 students, were buried by landslides from nearby mountains and more than half of the students and teachers died.
Li Shuqun came to memorialize her daughter. In her mind, her daughter is still alive in another world. “My daughter is 14 years old now. When she passed away, she was thirteen.”
Zuo Yunfa, 64-year old villager of Zhongtanbao Village of Yingxiu City, wandered between two rows of tombs, with a bag of peanuts in her left hand. She does not know where her daughter, Tang Jinhua, is buried. Tang Jinhua, who was 37-year old, died during the earthquake. “She did shoe-shining and trash-pickup to support her girl and boy…She and her daughter both died and six out of her entire family died,” said Zuo Yunfa.
Notes:
[1] Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar. It is a traditional Chinese festival to remember and honor one’s ancestors and passed away family members at grave sites.
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[caption id=“attachment_83842” align=“alignleft” width=“320” caption="Parents burning their son
