Hu Chengxi: Overseas Chinese struggle to cope with Sichuan tragedy

Hu Chengxi comes from Mianyang in central China's Sichuan province, which was hit by a 8.0 magnitude earthquake on the afternoon of May 12, 2008. Hu currently lives and studies in Finland and he too, just like thousands of other overseas Chinese, tried desperately to reach his family members in the quake-hit region after hearing news of the disaster.

Hu Chengxi's hometown of Santai is located very close to Beichuan, the epicenter of the massive quake. Hu himself was in Finland when disaster struck, but he was naturally deeply shocked and devastated by the destruction caused by the quake, which reduced entire villages to mere rubble.

Hu says he first heard of the incident from Finnish radio which broadcast news saying a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had hit Sichuan province. But even shortly before that, he had already had a bad feeling that something was wrong when his Chinese friends, with whom he had been chatting online, suddenly disappeared from the net. Soon afterwards, he noticed reports of the event emerging on the web.

Hu says his first reaction after learning of the catastrophe was to call his family and friends. After four or five hours of dialing and redialing and not being able to reach his loved ones, his worry escalated to grave fear. However, while calls were not reaching their destination, text messages were.

"My parents had sent a message to my cousin in Guangzhou soon after the earthquake to inform her they were safe, so I heard the good news from her," Hu recalls.

Hu's family is one of the lucky ones. Their house remained standing through the ordeal, only some furniture and interior structures sustained damage.

"My mother was sleeping at the time and was awoken by the sounds of things shattering and the whole house shaking. She quickly put on her shoes, sent a message to my cousin saying she was okay, and hurried to the hospital where she works as a nurse. She knew that when this kind of thing occurs, a lot of people would be injured and in need of help," Hu explains.

"In the evening of the 12th, I also finally reached a friend of mine I had been trying to call. Shaken, all I could think to ask was 'how's you and your family?' when he finally answered. After hearing the good news that he and his family were safe, I felt very relieved," Hu recounts.

Hu's grandparents had come to Finland to visit their grandson just before the earthquake, and luckily escaped the tragedy.

"They have lived in Sichuan almost all their life, 50 – 60 years, and have lot of relatives and friends there. They tried to call everyone they knew, but there was very limited time to talk, because at that moment every minute was precious for the people in the disaster area, and that's understandable. So that we tried to contact each other on the internet afterwards," Hu says.

History repeated

This is not the first time that China has experienced the destruction of a massive earthquake. The last big one took place in east China's Hebei province in July of 1976. It has been considered the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll.

Even though Hu Chengxi is very young, he too has heard of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake from his parents, who have now experienced two of the largest earthquakes to hit China in recent history.

"According to what I heard, Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai were also affected then. And Shanghai especially, where a cross fell from the steeple of a church. 240,000 people died in that earthquake. During the Tangshan earthquake, telecommunications weren't as developed as nowadays -- even television wasn't very popular -- so my parents could only get news from the radio. They don't have many relatives or friends in Tangshan, so at first they did not understand the severity of the situation there. But they were naturally shocked by the number of casualties," Hu explains.

This time the situation is totally different: news of the latest developments in the quake area have been reported timely and through many channels. People around the world have been touched by images from the disaster zone, and none more so than the people who have friends or relatives in the affected area.

Sichuan is located in a seismically active zone, which is why earthquakes there are not uncommon. But predicting them is harder than finding a needle in a haystack, as they rarely occur in exactly the same spot. The Chinese saying “Shang tian hen rongyi, xia di hen nan,” “it is very easy to see the sky but very difficult to see beneath the earth," seems to illustrate this problem perfectly.

Long recovery

China's emergency response has drawn praise from far and wide. Salvano Briceno, Director of the Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction at the United Nations, told CRI that the first rescue teams dispatched to the area reached their destination in four hours. The provincial emergency service personnel, including Hu's mother, were also hard at work soon after the incident.

"Yes, my mother is a nurse in the emergency room. After the earthquake, she was afraid and shaken, but she insisted on helping out in the operating room. They also received reinforcements in the form of more doctors and nurses from other cities, and they, together with the soldiers, were witnessing the tragedy from very close up. According to what I heard, there was a lot of blood and dead bodies there, a horrible sight. Think about what kind of stress they were working under in that situation, trying to overcome their sadness and fear. They really deserve to be commended for their efforts."

The task of rebuilding will still take many years to complete, possibly a decade, according to some experts. When we talked with Chen, six days had passed since the quake. Hu said the rescue workers had probably already saved all they could by then. And while their work was not yet done, they were surely in need of rest.

"It is both physically and mentally straining! Whenever I call my mother, she is always at work and tells me about the things she has seen. For example, she met a man in his thirties who had lost his family in the earthquake, and sadly his leg needed to be amputated. Before the operation, he despairingly told the doctor that 'I have already lost all my loved ones, soon I will lose one of my legs also, is there any reason for me to live anymore?' This story clearly reflects the survivor's mental suffering. Right now, they are in need of comforting and counseling. Otherwise, the repercussions can be even more scary that the earthquake itself," Hu says.

Home has changed forever

Hu says he had made plans before the quake to travel home in June, but has since canceled his plans. Hu says he wanted to go home to provide support for his mother, knowing how much she has been through, but his mother persuaded him to postpone his trip. He is also worried about a possible epidemic that might spread in the unhygienic conditions, but says that if things improve, he will go back and do his best to contribute to the reconstruction of his hometown.

Hu himself is lucky to not have lost any family members in the disaster, but he too has grieved for those who did, and for the loss of his old classmate.

"My classmate in Beichuan and her father had just walked out of their home when the telephone inside the house rang. My friend turned back and went inside, leaving her father to wait outside. At that exact moment the earthquake struck, and in an instant the house had turned into a pile of rubble. The father, in shock, tried to look for his wife and daughter, who were buried under the building... Only my classmate's father and grandmother survived. When the father saw the state that the city of Beichuan was in, he described it as 'a city full of corpses, haunted by the smell of death.' A strong man had been totally broken down," Hu recounts solemnly.

Joining hands to rebuild

As Sichuan struggles to recover from the devastation, aid from all around the world has been pouring in. Just nine days after the quake, donations to the local rescue and relief operations had amounted to 1.3 billion USD.

One individual can only do so much to help, especially from abroad, Hu says, adding that he personally will do everything he can, starting with a donation for as we know, little drops of water make a mighty ocean...

"I want to say to all the people in Finland, whether Chinese or local Finnish people, that if you have the possibility, show your support for the people in the disaster area and read about the developments there to get a better understanding of the situation. If you get the chance to go there, I hope you can also contribute to the relief work. This is also what I want to do."