A Moment of Silence for Sichuan Earthquake Victims -- May 19, 2008 (2:28 pm)

I'm sure many of you have read about the terrible earthquake that struck Wenchuan county in Sichuan Province on May 12th. The death toll is rising at an exponential rate, a figure that could reach 50,000 people. The earthquake had destroyed countless homes, roads and schools. The historical Dujianyan dam is nothing but rubble. Many residents have gathered their belongings, camping and sleeping outside on the streets, in fear of the earthquake's aftershocks. As relief efforts poured in the region, landslides and floods posed as additional threats to operation efforts.

I was at work in Beijing at the time of the earthquake. The magnitude of the small earthquake in Beijing was small, but I felt dizzy from the sway of the building. I consider myself lucky that I did not need to evacuate the building or face such a terrible earthquake such as the one in Sichuan. One of my coworkers family was in Sichuan but luckily her family survived the disaster.

As I contemplated about the impacts of the earthquake, two things came to mind today. It really has been such an eventful and crazy year for China, starting off with the Tibet conflict, the Olympic torch protests, Carrefour riots, and now earthquake/natural disasters. What struck me the most with the earthquake event (and to some extent the other events as well), was how the Chinese people came together as a unified whole. Compared to people from other Asian countries, Chinese people in some ways are much more individualistic and less cohesive as a whole, which was why I am very impressed on how Chinese people actually came together for this cause. Also, I am really surprised and impressed on the donation efforts by the average Chinese folk (as for the very rich people? I still think they can do a better job!). I mean, donating money for a cause is not something that really comes naturally for Chinese people (Chinese people are practical, heck why would they give away their own money if they don't get something out of it?). Yet in this earthquake relief efforts, I see Chinese people of all ages and backgrounds digging deep into their pockets to contribute to medical and food supplies in the affected region.

The second thing I want to mention was the national moment of silence that happened this afternoon, a week after the earthquake. It really was quite a sight. My co-workers and I, as well as the 1.3 billion Chinese people stood still in silence to honor the earthquake victims. Beijing's busy traffic stopped, with horns honking in solidarity. A 3 day national holiday, a mourning to the victims, has been declared. The whole nation has reaffirmed its commitment to stand united. And I was there to witness it all.