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Sichuan's earthquake, six months later
Six months ago, China suffered its worst earthquake in a generation. The magnitude 8.0 Sichuan Earthquake erased many mountain towns and villages from the face of the map, with destruction radiating outward leaving millions homeless, over 300,000 injured, nearly 70,000 dead, and over 18,000 people still listed as missing. Now, as winter approaches, reconstruction is well under way, with priority placed on building houses for survivors still living in temporary tents. China's government has pledged nearly $150 billion over three years toward the reconstruction effort - including new schools which will be built to the highest standards, after government officials admitted some blame for the shodddy construction of hundreds of schools that collapsed in last May's quake, killing up to 10,000 children. [Previously on The Big Picture: Earthquake Damage in Beichuan County, After the Quake] (32 photos total)
Li Mingcui, 61, wearing Qiang minority costumes, holds a red scarf as a sign of respect to the rescuers during the May earthquake at Beichuan County, Sichuan province November 11, 2008. Li was dug out by rescuers from the rubble of a collapsed market about 164 hours after the earthquake on May 12, 2008, local media reported. (REUTERS/Bo Bor)
An earthquake survivor tries to figure out where his home used to be at the Donghekou Earthquake Relics Park, which covers one town and five villages including Donghekou Village, on November 11, 2008 in Qingchuan County of Sichuan Province, China. The park, which is the first memorial site after the massive Wenchuan Earthquake, was opened to the public on November 12, 2008. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
An elderly woman who survived from the earthquake on May 12 talks on her cell phone on the ruin of the collapsed houses in Leigu township of Beichuan county, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on November 10, 2008. Rebuilding work is in full swing in China's Sichuan province six months after the worst earthquake in a generation levelled entire towns, but for some families, help is still slow and insufficient. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
New housing is under construction after the May 12, 2008 Earthquake left many homeless and living in nearby makeshift tents on November 15, 2008 in Lueyang County of Shaanxi Province, China. As winter falls, reconstruction work is accelerated in the province since many people in the quake-hit area still live in makeshift houses. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
Chain-link fencing is seen next to a damaged building after local authorities sealed off large parts of the quake-hit Beichuan county in China Nov. 6, 2008. Beichuan was so shattered by the quake on May 12 that the government has decided to abandon it and rebuild - the only question is where. Six months after the worst quake to hit China in three decades, the future remains uncertain for many survivors. Jobs are hard to come by, and government aid payments are about to end. Many people are still in temporary housing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) #
Local students run past a tent donated by the United Nations at a temporary school in Yinghua township, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on November 11, 2008. Six months after thousands of school children lost their lives in the Sichuan earthquake, psychological counselling remains a dire need for families here. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
A local resident collects stones to build his house in Songpan, one of the worst-hit areas during the May earthquake, Sichuan province November 22, 2008. An usually harsh winter is expected in the mountains of Sichuan, where millions of quake victims live in temporary housing that gives little protection against cold, rain and snow, provincial officials said on Friday. (REUTERS/Stringer) #
Women wash dishwares near a collapsed building in Yingxiu township of Wenchuan county, in China's southwestern province of Sichuan on November 10, 2008. Six months later the pair are unemployed and have no idea what the future holds for them in their devastated hometown of Yingxiu, which sits at the epicentre of the 8.0 magnitude quake here in Wenchuan county. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
A boy with his toy gun walks past reconstruction houses next to the tents which set up for the May 12 earthquake survivors near the Beichuan county, Sichuan Province in China, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. The town was so damaged by the 7.9-magnitude temblor in Sichuan province on May 12 that the government has decided to abandon it and rebuild. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) #
A woman has her picture taken on the hill near earthquake-hit Beichuan county on November 10, 2008. The destruction in Beichuan, about 130 kilometres (78 miles) from Taoping, was so great that the government has decided to leave the town as it is - uninhabited and destroyed - and turn it into an earthquake museum. The museum is expected to attract tourist dollars to help rebuild the region and also benefit efforts to protect the 3,000 year-old cultural heritage of the Qiang minority. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
Residents shake hands with firemen who took part in rescue missions during the May 12 earthquake attend a retirement ceremony on November 25, 2008 in Chengdu of Sichuan, China. Over 130 "Hero Firemen" retired today. During the earthquke, China mobilized over 140,000 rescue personnel including military, firemen and police. The country is now targeting post-quake reconstruction after rescue work has come to an end. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
A Chinese man poses with his grandchild as they admire the illustration of a new school building that will be built near their village in the suburbs of Xian, in northern China's Shaanxi province on November 20, 2008. China plans to improve the ability of schools to withstand earthquakes by revising a law in the wake of May's devastating quake that killed thousands of pupils. (AFP/AFP/Getty Images) #
20-year-old panda Qi Hao, a survivor of the May Sichuan earthquake gets a thorough physical examination in Fuzhou, southeastern China's Fujian province Thursday Oct. 30, 2008. Qi Hao was transferred to the southern province four months ago after its home the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in Sichuan was devastated by the earthquake. (AP Photo) #
A female migrant worker carries her child at a railway station in Shenyang, Liaoning province November 21, 2008. She is returning to her hometown in Sichuan province after failing to find a job in Shenyang. The ranks of unemployed in China are likely to rise next year as the impact of the global economic crisis starts to bite in the world's most populous country. (REUTERS/Stringer) #
A student walks to school along the only path available near the village of Gulucan on November 17, 2008 in Hanyuan county, Sichuan province, China. More than 60 farmers' families live in six isolated locations, perched high above a spectacular canyon in the area. Some farmers' children have to walk three hours to their school along the edge of a crumbling, narrow mountain path with a sheer 5,000ft drop on one side. (Guang Niu/Getty Images) #
A general view of building waste residue bricks at a plant on October 21, 2008 in Dujiangyan of Sichuan Province, China. The plant was built on July 8 to make bricks from the estimated 20 millon tons of building waste residue left by the May 12 earthquake. About 70 million concrete perforated bricks will be processed by the line per year. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
A young girl helps to arrange belongings as she moves into a new house, leaving her temporary tent housing with her family at the Leigu Township on November 25, 2008 in Beichuan County, China. Reconstruction work is accelerated in the province as those still living in makeshift houses prepare for challenging winter weather. According to state media, over 15.6 million houses were damaged in the May 12 Sichuan Earthquake and the Chinese government plans to spend three years to rebuild infrastructure and homes. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
A woman cooks while her husband playing computer games inside the prefabricated temporary housing in Yingxiu, Sichuan Province in China Nov. 8, 2008. Last week, the government announced plans to pump $146 billion into the rebuilding effort over the next three years. Some 120 billion yuan ($17.5 billion) will be spent on ensuring schools, hospitals and other public facilities are built to higher standards. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) #
More links and information
Garbled Report on Sichuan Death Toll Revives Pain - NYTimes.com 11/21
China Admits Building Flaws in Quake - NYTimes.com 9/4
2008 Sichuan earthquake - Wikipedia entry
Sichuan Earthquake NYTimes.com Topics page
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Very touching. Indeed, very touching.
Coco Wang is a Chinese artist who produced very fine and moving comics strips about the Earthquake.
You can find them here :
http://earthquakestrips.blogspot.com/2008/06/hello.html
So tragic, and such a long rebuilding process. My heart breaks for all those children.
#25: Throw some kung-fu on 'em, panda!
#27: If this isn't a valid excuse to skip school then I don't know what is.
Makes one think over his own 'problems'... thousands of them will be facing winter in temporarely houses, mostly tents before they can move into a new proper house.
Touching indeed....
Wow.
quite sad..
quite sad..
#27 makes my dads stories of walking to school when he was a kid seem like a walk in the park.
I hope they get the help they need asap. Im sure repairing 15.6 million damaged homes doesnt happen to quickly.
Incredible pictures! As always.....
#31 is sad, but it makes me feel worse to think it is happening everywhere, west and east, right now.
So sad T____T
Awesome story.
A whole generation lost
Very moving pictures. Days after days the Big Picture shows how powerful news photography can be.
Thank you Flor Tercero for the link to Coco Wang's comic strips. They are truly remarkable.
Love 17, 24, 27!
Thank you Allan for letting us see those pictures we would never have seen otherwise! Your work is incredible and your selection of pictures is quite relevant. Thank you so much for showing how photojournalism is still useful in this world ruled by "instantaneousity" and video, and also how it can, by some aspects, be an art.
Antoine, from Paris.
www.photogenique.fr
The Nature always wins ....... but I hope that all those people will find a decent home, especialy the "little" ones.
"Big Picture" is a must for me in this world dominated by TV. Simply amazing.
very touching! I'll pray for all of them~
Very grateful to so many foreign friends who care for the earthquake in Sichuan,I am a china's boy.With your help and concern,IWe believe that our home will soon be completed.
please allow me reprint this article to my site :superha.com
I was in most of the counties and townships mentioned in these pictures for 3 weeks this past summer. The memory is still fresh! It's great to see some improvements for the refugees' lives. As the winter is fast approaching, let's pray for faster housing constraction.
Just like a nightmare , never happen again - and may God bless Sichuan in the future !
So tragic story
#31. Though sad to see, that is one of the coping mechanisms that many refugees are using to escape facing the hard reality. We shouldn't be critizing them, but praying for them and reaching out to them when we get a chance.
M阭e le ciel est triste ...
I hope that they will be happy soon :)
#31. After such a terrible disaster, doesn't he deserve some pleasure time on computer games?
Yes the woman is cooking, just like their everyday life before that. What's wrong?
'8' is one big 'quake!!
Is Sichuan on a Fault Line?
Did they have any warning?
Thanks for the moving photography - very sad to see people lose everything, incl. their loved ones.
What camera, and spec. was used?
How ironic, in the wake of Katrina, that we look to China to see how committment to rebuilding is undertaken.
nothing can bring us down，we can fix it like always 。
i am a chinese。
xie xie ni men de guan xin
I go to the U. of Iowa, and my school has admitted many exchange/study abroad students from the earthquake-affected area this year. Their academic determination plus the sacrifices of their families in sending their children abroad is something we can all learn from.
I wish the best for the Sichuan area.
Great photo essay.
Truly thanks for all of your pray,We must be strong!
谢谢所有人的祈祷，我们必须坚强
Great story and even greater pictures. Thanks Globe! It's sad to see the suffering. But I also saw the hope on the face of the next generation. M
it's terrible,i'm chinese thank you all for your wishes!!thank you!! after the earthquake we saw the pictures,as a man,i can't help crying...can't help falling my tear..
30 floor means thanks for all your concern
i hope and pray that these people and families affected by the earthquakes will remember that god is in control and as long as they focus and put their trust and hope in him then everything will be alright.
So much suffering.
For everyone sending good wishes to the quake survivors, please know that Love Without Boundaries is an organization that has been working for years in China's orphanages. Since they were already in place in Sichuan, they were able to set up tents, schools, and play areas for the youngest survivors of the quake and worked with the cooperation of the Chinese authorities to help reunite families. They also continue to work in the orphanages to help them care for the many newly orphanged children who arrived there after the quake. Prayers are wonderful...helping them provide winter clothing and some return to normality for
these kids is even better! http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/the chil
We will never give up. thx for your pray
永不言败
人定胜天
Lets hope the villagers survive the cold winter. Its sure gonna be a dull season for them.
Sadly, they seem to be rebuilding houses using brick construction that will not stand up to future earthquakes. Why aren't they doing more reinforcement or using wood?
poor ppl, specially the kids!!
God be with them!
may god save us and china from these sad movment, china is our most close friend, i live in pakistan where every one pray for china due to friendship; adnan ahmadani from mana ahmadani, dera ghazi, pakistan, adnanahmadani@yahoo.com
I was in China during the quake, in many online chatting groups and rooms. The news spread very quickly about the quake online, and immediately Chinese people changed. They started insulting me and talking down on foreigners the moment they realise i am a foreigner in the chat group. The only way Chinese can show their patriotism during that time was to insult foreigners and any country thats not China, and people outside China does not know this, but for at least 3 to 4 months, foreigners were hated by the Chinese only because of this earthquake...you can feel it on the bus, subway , online and even at work. and their attitudes haven't changed much.
Dear friend @ 44th floor,
I am so sorry to hear that you experienced and/or felt that way. I was in the quake-battered zone (from the US) for a few weeks in most of the areas mentioned here this past summer. What I witnessed was Chinese (common people and government officials) welcoming and being grateful for the love and compassion expressed through international friends.
http://www.twolisteners.org/Dec%201%20-%2015.htm#December%201
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7740000/newsid_7741000/7741059.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7720000/newsid_7724300/7724378.stm
Great photos !! China's hard work to come back after this kind of earthquake is admirable. Big picture is adding values to photo journalism !!
Winter is coming, the most difficult part just started.
These victims still need our supports (financial, morale and more).
#27 is pure madness.
44th floor is pure madness and what he said is totally none sence. people won't insult you by no reason, must because you showed no respect to them, And as i know the Chinese people are friendly, they only be impolite to people are impolite to them, cause i've been there and i know what people like at that place.
u'd better show your respect to others next time.
To the "Foreigner" on post #44:
You are so full of crap and a friggin' racist!
You must not be someone who deserves respect from ANYONE, because no Chinese person will insult foreigners unless the foreigner insult them first, or offend them in someway. You must've done or said something that offended the Chinese people as a whole.
Get out of China, they don't want you there anyway!
I feel sad for the people
GOD BLESS CHINA! : (
These are wonderful pics where by i praise dat person who took their time and made dc collection.Good job and keep it up.
thx everyone's pray~
谢谢大家~
Thank you for your pray,We will be strong,we will never give up.
谢谢你们
wow, beautiful pictures but of such devastation. I pray that God would comfort there hearts during this time. thank you to whoever blogged this. God bless
Amazing photos of a terrible tragedy.
To the commentor #44, I would like to share with you something you probably have no idea about:
last century, the foreigners:french, british, german, japanese, italian:etc... basically were "mean to the chinese for an entire century"! During China's weakest period, when the qing dynasty was a mess, caused by the foreigners' large imports of opium(a very strong and vital drug that basically weakened the chinese population to pieces) and sold them purposely to the chinese people. at that time, it was all p
...planned to weaken China, and then, ripped it to shreds. Once the Chinese government or royalties realized what the "outside people" were doing, they immediately ceased the imports, making many guards stand guard at the fronts and ports. The "exporters" meaning europeans, saw this and didn't want it to crush their plan, and sneaked more opium secretly, and while at the same time, blamed the chinese and forced them to sign treaties giving large chinese lands to foreign powers, thus Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Fuzian, Shanghai, and many others while they(foreigns) didn't even keep their treaties and kept taking...
sooo... I wonder if you should ever complain when you guys made them suffer so much... I'm even surprised they actually forgave europeans and others for their disgusting raids, and put it behind them, welcoming new people and they are friendly, unless you offend them... Another example is the Canadian Railway, the english/canadians back then, used the chinese labourers as pencils, sharpening them everyday and if the break, just throw them away like garbage, meaning when they're so weak, just throwing them out into the river is what they did, and still making them pay for working for the companies..And YOU"RE TALKING.
thats sooooo sad1
that looks like a lot of damage
What happend in Sichuan remind us of how precious life is.
A loss of a human life can not be replaced by anything, but it is rewarding to see that people have come across their pain and rebuilding their lives once again.
May God Bless the souls of those who left us all on that unforgotable day, and help the survivors find peace and hapiness once more.
Amen....
THANK YOU for this update! I've been to most of the places esp Beichuan. Believe or not, the aftershocks are still going on THIS MONTH! The 5.12 anniversary is coming up and i look forward to a 12-months-later !
this is very sad
oh how sad
Does make one think how lucky you really are
you have to have great respect for the chinese people.