Letters and Blogs

I bow to the people of Sichuan

When I first came to China in the fall of 2001, I visited Chengdu in Sichuan province.

I have visited China many times after that but the wide expanse of land in Sichuan, its mountains and rivers will always be representative of the country for me.

The historical weight of Beijing is awe-inspiring, the modern metropolis of Shanghai is breathtaking, and the ever-flowing mighty Yangtze River gives us food for thought.

But for me, China will always be Sichuan. No place is like it, and every time I've been there, I've felt like returning home.

That's why I was shocked more than many people when I heard the news on May 12 last year. I could see myself in the faces of all those that were searching the ruins for survivors, for their loved ones, after the deadly earthquake struck.

The horror and disbelief grew as I saw the places I had been to, even stayed for short periods, leveled to the ground. They were homes of people I had met, people I knew and had spent time with. They were places I had grown to love. People were trying to run to safer places when no such place existed. They were shedding tears of pain and loss and helplessness. My Chinese home lay shattered.

But what shocked me most and will forever pain me are the children who died - entire classes, thousands of them. I couldn't bear to see their little bodies being carried out of rubble.

I cried.

Since I was not in China at the time, I was tormented by the fact that I could not rush out to help some of the victims. I cursed myself for not being there, to help them in their hour of need.

Fortunately, there where many people who did. Seldom in my life have I seen such an undertaking of emergency aid and relief work. It was truly awesome to see the work being done and the help being provided by volunteers, army personnel and the local people. Had it not been for them, many more lives would have been lost.

Now, after more than a year all eyes are-turned on China again, and on you, the people of Sichuan. It has been one year of deep sorrow. And for the people of Sichuan, it has been one year of struggle and hard work - to rebuild homes and hearts.

But the people of Wenchuan, Beichuan, Mianyang and Dujiangyan, and all other places that suffered stand firmly together, together in their sorrow and struggle.

I can bear witness to the unity in the quake zone, which I visited in August last year. The Chinese national flag lined the streets and encampments. Local people were working alongside soldiers and foreign volunteers. They were part of one gigantic undertaking to put the community on its feet again and bring life back to normal.

So many of them lost their loved ones - parents their children, children their parents, wives their husbands, husbands their wives, and brothers and sisters their siblings. But despite the loss and sorrow, they haven't given up.

We admire your courage and bow our heads in respect to you, the people of Sichuan and the people of China - because we were all Chinese on the day the deadly quake struck.

Jon Emil Halvorsen

via email

Praying teachers bad models for pupils

The annual national college entrance exam is round the corner. Third-year high school students and their parents are waiting nervously for the toughest academic competition.

Teachers in charge of third-year students are expected to put in their last bit to prepare the students for the exam. But teachers of some high schools have left their students to fend for themselves and gone to Buddhist temples to pray "for their success", causing a sensation across the country.

China has a large number of Buddhists, who pray to Buddha for help and protection before doing something important or risky. Praying may help bring peace of mind, but it would be superstitious to believe it can help students pass an exam without proper preparation.

Teachers are models for students and are supposed to teach them the value and importance of science. Hence, they should not indulge in irrational activities.

Leaving students to their fate and going to Buddhist temples to pray is the worst example they have set for their students.

Betty

via email

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(China Daily 05/27/2009 page9)