Finding Strength in Calamity

    Heavy rain poured down as I arrived in Yingxiu. I sought shelter at several hotels, but all were full with visitors who had come for the Qingming Festival. I was wet, hungry and had nowhere to go, when a Mrs Li took me into her small inn.

    After her day's busy work she spared some time to chat with me. "You may never know what despair means, but I know." Before the earthquake Yingxiu was a fast growing town, with thriving tourism and real estate sectors. Sleek residential buildings had mushroomed, and many families like Li's dug deep into their savings to buy homes. "I bought three apartments with savings I had carefully made cent by cent. Then the quake came, and almost all buildings were destroyed or damaged to the point where they were uninhabitable. All the possessions my husband and I earned by toil over half of our lives were gone in a minute."

    For nearly three months the couple was distraught with grief and a sense of insecurity. They shut themselves in their tent, crying or just sitting in silence through long hours. "Government officials of all levels came to see us and encouraged us to face adversity. Soldiers, volunteers and aid workers from all over the country have been helping us all these months," Mrs Li continued. "When I finally gathered the courage to go out, I saw dramatic changes around the region. That moment I was determined to make a change in myself and cheer up."

    Now, Mrs. Li runs a small business and earns a humble living. When I was leaving, she reassured me: "You know, I really feel safe and secure with all the soldiers and supporting hands around me. I believe life will get better."

Smoke swirls out of kitchens in a temporary settlement in Yingxiu at dusk.

From a Boy to a Man Overnight

    Many hold the prejudice that the "post-90s" generation are spoiled, self-centered and devoid of any sense of responsibility. This is clearly not the case with Shu, a Yingxiu teenager. "I lost many of my classmates, including my best buddy. The sorrow of losing them didn't stop me from helping others. I gave a hand to anyone in need, and treated them as close friends."

    After the earthquake Shu wanted to become a soldier, because they were the most trustworthy people on hand when he was in danger. Later he thought a teaching job would also be good; in his experience teachers are great leaders in peace and heroic protectors during disasters. Whatever vocation he eventually takes up, he vows he will serve his country and its people to the best of his ability.

    When I returned to Chengdu in the middle of the night, I was worn out but felt compelled to write down what I had seen and heard on the trip. Never in my life had I been so confident, and so proud of being Chinese.

    The long line of trucks bound for Yingxiu cleared away doubts about the endurance of sympathy and generosity towards those in the quake zone. The speed and scale of the response and reconstruction reminds us we have a strong, responsible government and a gritty people.

    Permanent houses are under construction, jobs are being created and offered, and highways are being rebuilt. We Chinese people are closely united in every step forward. The national pride is justified, in those who stood in long lines to donate blood, money and aid materials, in those who left their jobs and used every means to join the rescue work, as well as in those who suffered personal tragedy but choose to fight on against the myth of destiny. What we have already achieved gives us confidence in what we can and must achieve tomorrow. I know the difficult times will be overcome.

Li Yingcai is a postgraduate student of Chongqing-based Southwest University.