May 12 2008
The earthquake in China
Pre dawn July 28 in 1976 at 3:42am, I was awaken by clinking of pots and pans in the hallway and instantly felt my bed was shaking. Earthquake came to mind. But I lay still calmly till the shake subdued. Then I heard the human noise rose, followed by door openings and foot steps. I got up and went through the darken hallway, following the crowds into the street. I had never experienced an earthquake before but surprised at myself for taking it by stride. Panic never crossed my mind.
It was the deadiest Tangshan Earthquake, measured in 7.8 on the Richter magnitude. Quarter of million people vanished from the face of the earth, in a matter of seconds that included my step-mother of two weeks.
The epicentre of the earthquake was near Tangshan, a city that locates 112 miles (180 kilometers) east of Beijing in Hebei province. There were many unusual signs in Tangshan prior to the quake, lightenings in the dark sky, rodents were bolting from the ground .. ..
I lived in the Building #16, a singles dorm with rooms on both side of the hall way without kitchens. But due to tight housing, it housed families too (all in a single room) where they stuffed cooking stoves/pots/pans in the hallway.
One family, both parents were from far-flung provinces of China lived to my right (where Aunt Spalding used to live - I lived in that room too..) with three daughters. The mother came down stark naked. It was 3 am, but the moon provided enough light for us to see. The husband hissed at her in their own dialogue and then ran back to their third floor corner to fetch a blanket to cover her. Seeing a nake woman among us caused more stir then the earthquake itself, although that was the reason we were all down stairs in the middle of the night for.
The atmosphere was calm and orderly. Adults conversed in their normal voice sparsely, predicted it’s a powerful earthquake and wondered why there wasn’t any warnings. The electricity was gone, either damaged or cut off by the authority - if it’s the later, then someone knew something was cookinp. We must have been in a state of ignorant because we all stayed around our building whihc was next to the huge cheminey that supplied our heat in the winter. As the first ray light up the sky, some one finally said that we should move to an open field, like my primary school - Zhongguancun #2 Primary School to the right.
News started to trickle in, as were directives. The quake center was in Tangshan. People feared dead in large numbers. We were told to stay away from our buildings, take some necessarsities and make mankershift on the street for the night.
It’s our summer vacation. I grabbed some books, toilette and my little travel bed and headed over to the tree lined Zhongguancun Boulevard near the front entrance to the Zoology Institute. We staked out territory and improvised with what we could gather to make a little shed.
We used Insittute’s bathroom, ate out at their cafeteria (I ate out there anyway). My little booth was very popular, because I had a travel bed (Dad out sourced me between his sisters, so a travel bed was a must), which turned out to be a luxury compared to others who had to sleep on the ground. We played baifen day and night. When the pouring rain came, we all took a shower. When the scratching sun came, we all got baked. It was so much fun, :). We made sheds 地震篷, set up equipment 测震仪, 测震室 to detect the earthquake (ya right), just a loud yell, my friends would hear (remember we had no phone then) and come over .. ..
On my way to the canteen one day, a man I remotely knew came up and said,
“Do you know that your father had just gotten married?”
Ouch. I swallowed hard. No I did not.
“Of course, I knew.” I replied casually.
“I’m a good liar remember?” I told myself silently.
I was huge fan and strong supporter to my father’s quest in getting married again. Thinking then I would have a place to call home, to live with my Dad. I actually gotten very close to his first girl friend, a pretty dentist who had obsessive-compulsive clean habit. If I passed gas, she would immdediatly ask me to go out side to brush it off my pants as if it was like the dirt on the pants. We spent many weekends together. I enjoyed going to her house, a single room in a siheyuan near the hospital. The room was spacious and had few Mom’s old belongings that Dad moved there.
But Dad was being investaged and could not get a leave come to Beijing.
“Many my friends are trying to fix me up with other men, some of them are lao ganbu 老干部 cadres who held very high positions in Beijing.” The dentist once said to me. “But I like your Dad, so I’ll wait.”
She even suggested that we go to Kunming to visit Dad. On my letter dated Sept 15, 1970, I asked Dad if I and ganma 干妈 - I addressed her as nominal mother could come for a visit.
The last time I saw her was one afternoon I came home from school. She was returning my Mom’s stuff to Jennie.
“I’m very sorry, I really liked your brother.” I heard her saying.
My Dad’s next girl friend was from Tangshan. Dad, actually Jennie would only introduce him to woman in Beijing or near by, in the hope that the marriage would stand a slim chance that he could move back to Beijing. I met her once in Jennie’s home. She was with Dad.
“This is her.” Dad said to his future bride.
“Aunt Zhu.”
After I addressed her, she gave me a forced smile. My heart sank. I just had the distinct feeling that we were going to live together. Who would want to inherit a problem child?
One day we were playing the card game, and Yizang nodded to me. I turned around, saw my Dad who’s working in Kunming at time, stood behind. Neatly combed hair, starch white shirt and wrinkle freed blue pants, made us looked like beggars and gypsies! Seeing him during such stressful time should be a joy, but I felt bit embarrassed, uncomfortable. Not knowing what to say to him, or behave in front of my friends. They sensed the stiff air, all left without a word.
He’s gotten married few weeks earlier but told me nothing. Only said that he’s back on business, by the way checking on me. Would take next flight back to Kunming. He had just lost his new bride of two weeks. He told me nothing, I asked no questions. It’s more than twenty years later in the US, one day I asked about Tangshan Earthquake, did he tell me that only one week out of 2-week annual leave, into his honeymoon in Tangshan, his dan wei cabled him to report back for duty asap. Without providing a reason. He obliged. "She was pretty upset, didn’t even come to the station." When returned to his work unit, did he realize there wasn’t anything of urgent nature, just someone held grudge against him, would make life like a hell for him whenever they could.
Few days later, the famous Tangshan Earthquake struck. His new wife perished in her sleep. Left an injured son who’s 21 at time. His dan wei felt remorseful of the reasonless early recall (regardless it had saved his life), so sent a cadre with him plus round trip flight to Tangshan. At time, air travel was strictly for the high level government.
After the dust had settled, Dad was informed by her dan wei, that all the bereavement/settle allowance would go to her son - another example that China follows its own rules as they see fit. Sentiment often trumps the rule of law, if they had any.
When school started in September, we reluctantly returned to our home/dorm, not that they fixed anything, but of the cold weather. I have to say that it’s the best summer I’ve had in China during my school years.
Few days into school, the dear leader Mao Zedong died. OMG .. one little event followed another. Looking around the world or in China, there isn’t any one so dominating as Mao.. .. .. so the May 12 汶川 Wenchuan Earthquake that measured also 7.8 (some report as 7.9) on the Richter magnitude is the prelude to who’s passing, or what?
Has the government taken any preventive measure? Why not? The salvage should be done better than the last time. There would be chain e-mails for donation elsewhere from China. But honestly I’m wary becasue China isn’t as developed as the west, who’s getting the donation?? I’d rather send to Red Cross or Tzu Chi.