Bouncing Back Together - English Version 2018

Finding Xingfu: Stories from the Wenchuan Earthquake Contents Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................... 4About this book .............................................................................................................................................. 5Preface............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Dr. Timothy SIM .......................................................................................................................................... 6Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 WANG Jinhua, Chief of Social Work Subministry Department, Ministry of Civil Affairs, People’s Republic of China ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Dr. Timothy W. TONG, Professor and President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ....................... 9 WANG Sibin, Professor, Social Work Department, Beijing University; President of China Association of Social Work Education.............................................................................................................................. 10 MAI Liwen, Director of Mindset ............................................................................................................... 12 TAN Guoqiang, Principal of Yingxiu Primary School ................................................................................. 12Prelude: Yingxiu, the epicenter .................................................................................................................... 15 An unheralded demise ............................................................................................................................. 15 Yingxiu ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Journey to rebirth..................................................................................................................................... 21Chapter 1. ‘Make life shine’ – Dong Xuefeng before the earthquake .......................................................... 25 The incomparable beauty of family life.................................................................................................... 25 Between father and son ........................................................................................................................... 27 New teacher’s ambition ........................................................................................................................... 31 He and she................................................................................................................................................ 34 Fatherhood............................................................................................................................................... 37Chapter 2. The sweet spring of happiness – the story of Liu Zhongneng .................................................... 43 A father’s love is a mountain.................................................................................................................... 43 Education changes destiny ....................................................................................................................... 45 Dream and love ........................................................................................................................................ 47 Great expectations ................................................................................................................................... 51Chapter 3. The fascination of family bond – the story of Su Chenggang ..................................................... 56 Page | 1

Children of the mountains........................................................................................................................ 56 Memories clouded by pain....................................................................................................................... 60 Live and love............................................................................................................................................. 61 Freeze-framed happiness ......................................................................................................................... 64 Love can never be erased......................................................................................................................... 69Chapter 4. Earthquake.................................................................................................................................. 72 Weekend at the Tangs’ ............................................................................................................................. 72 All is over in a sudden............................................................................................................................... 73 Out of the ruins ........................................................................................................................................ 80 Be stronger still......................................................................................................................................... 87 Let it shake and fall................................................................................................................................... 91Chapter 5. From the hands of death ............................................................................................................ 94 “I must find her”....................................................................................................................................... 94 The will to live .......................................................................................................................................... 97 Students, or family first? ........................................................................................................................ 100 Treat her well, when she leaves ............................................................................................................. 102 Rescue discontinued............................................................................................................................... 104 The moment she came out .................................................................................................................... 108Chapter 6. To leave or to stay? ................................................................................................................... 109 Alive or dead, we need them ................................................................................................................. 109 Becoming an earthquake refugee .......................................................................................................... 116 Staying behind in tacit pain .................................................................................................................... 122Chapter 7. Back to Yingxiu: love, strange and familiar ............................................................................... 129 Consolation from a broken heart ........................................................................................................... 129 Speech tours........................................................................................................................................... 135 Yingxiu can’t do without a primary school............................................................................................. 141Chapter 8. Back to school........................................................................................................................... 148 From ashes ............................................................................................................................................. 148 Bitter sweet ............................................................................................................................................ 152 Reconstruction of the spirit.................................................................................................................... 158Chapter 9. A new page: one year after earthquake ................................................................................... 166 Pursue your dreams, children................................................................................................................. 166 Stand up where you fall.......................................................................................................................... 171 Reborn out of suffering .......................................................................................................................... 176 Page | 2

Where new life springs........................................................................................................................... 181 Be his future ........................................................................................................................................... 188Chapter 10. Life goes on............................................................................................................................. 192 The story of Dong Xuefeng, three years after the earthquake............................................................... 192 Beginning again .................................................................................................................................. 192 No turning back.................................................................................................................................. 196 As long as I exist ................................................................................................................................. 198 How life changes a man...................................................................................................................... 201 The meaning of staying ...................................................................................................................... 207 Case analysis for Dong Xuefeng.............................................................................................................. 211 1. Brain responses to earthquake....................................................................................................... 211 2. Grief and its internal working model.............................................................................................. 214 3. Impact of disaster on personal values............................................................................................ 216 4. Psychological resilience .................................................................................................................. 216Chapter 11. All I have is here...................................................................................................................... 219 The story of Liu Zhongneng, three years after the earthquake.............................................................. 219 A new start ......................................................................................................................................... 219 Staying with dream and pain.............................................................................................................. 220 Finally, feeling at home....................................................................................................................... 221 The gift of loss .................................................................................................................................... 225 Case analysis of Liu Zhongneng.............................................................................................................. 227Chapter 12. For the children....................................................................................................................... 232 The story of Su Chenggang, three years after the earthquake............................................................... 232 Reerect the collapsed......................................................................................................................... 232 Things will get better if you hold on................................................................................................... 233 Be with the school, always ................................................................................................................. 236 Case analysis of Su Chenggang............................................................................................................... 238 Page | 3

AcknowledgmentsSpecial thanks to Mr Liu Lixiang and Ms Xu Yanqing for their efforts in collecting materials for thisbook. Thanks also to the charity Mindset of Jardine Matheson Group for its continual assistance to thepeople of Yingxiu and its support in the creation of this book. The long-term investment of Mindsetmakes it possible for these moving stories to touch and help more people.Yingxiu Primary School before the earthquake Page | 4

About this bookThis book offers a panoramic view of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. It tells the stories of threeordinary primary school teachers caught up in the tragedy as they struggled, suffered and re-foundhappiness as teachers, husbands, fathers and disaster victims.Originally compiled in Chinese by Dr. Timothy Sim, Associate Professor in the Department of AppliedSocial Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and Director of the PolyU-UnitedNations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Collaboration Programme, this book is based on a series ofinterviews with the three survivors, all of whom lost loved ones in the earthquake. It includes insightfulcase analyses of each teacher’s story, written by mental health or social work experts from mainlandChina and Hong Kong.Since the earthquake happened nine years ago, the social workers have worked and grown with thethree teachers and collected detailed, comprehensive and faithful materials with which to tell theirstories.The book’s foreword has been written by WANG Jinhua, Chief of Social Work Subministry Department,China Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the book is jointly recommended by experts including Dr TimothyW. TONG, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Professor WANG Sibin, Presidentof China Association of Social Work Education and Professor in Social Work Department of BeijingUniversity.Case analyses have been provided by Professor YANG Yanchun from Sichuan University West ChinaHospital, and Professors LIANG Zubin and RAN Maosheng from Social Work and SocialAdministration Department of Hong Kong University. Page | 5

PrefaceDr. Timothy SIMThis book tells the real stories of three Yingxiu Primary School teachers who lived through the 2008Wenchuan earthquake. It describes in detail their admirable willpower and belief, as well as theirstruggle to survive bereavement after losing their loved ones.The idea of this book came into being in summer 2009, when Yingxiu Primary School was in itstransitional period in Bayi Primary School in Shuimo Town. At that time, Liu Zhongneng, one of thethree teachers, and I were already close friends. As we walked together one day, Liu told me he wasworried that he was beginning to forget the details of the day that the earthquake occurred. He did notwant the remembrance of that moment the earth shook to disappear, or to forget the pain of losing hiswife.At the time, I didn’t quite understand his feelings or intentions. But I wanted to help my friend in anyway I could. As a researcher, my forte is in documenting, so without a moment’s hesitation I suggestedthat I record what he wanted to say and produce a verbatim transcription for him. Liu approved gladly.Later, two other teachers, Dong and Su, joined our project. After some discussion and planning, thethree decided to do individual interviews with me. Together we drafted a plan for the questions, coveringten themes:1. Personal background before the earthquake: an introduction to them as individuals, their family relationships and work2. The moment of the earthquake3. The rescue efforts during the first one or two weeks following the disaster4. Preparing for school to restart after the earthquake, the first and second semesters since school resumed5. Relationships with family and friends after the earthquake6. Personal development and transformation after the earthquake7. Processes and strategies of coping (such as listening to music, watching TV, surfing the internet)8. Resources and people they had turned to for help (such as social workers, psychological counseling). What was useful and what was not?9. Personal reflections (such as values and attitudes towards life, family, and the self)10. Hopes and expectations for the futureI invited the supervisor of the social work station at that time, Mr. Liu Lixiang from Southwest Page | 6

Petroleum University, to help me conduct the interviews. Obviously, it would be a difficult process forthese teachers. But what surprised me was that the teachers shared some of their hidden feelings andthoughts, as well as details of the earthquake. In the end, it took us three days in August 2009 tocomplete the interviews, and the final transcripts totaled 231,130 words.After the interviews, I was concerned that such recollections would bring about secondary trauma inthe three men. Just two months later, in October, we held a group discussion in the teachers’prefabricated dormitory to summarize our experiences of and lessons from the interviews.Dong said briefly: “I did not expect that one day I would treasure these painful experiences.” Su smiled:“Although I talked in detail with you that day, there were still a lot of things I did not touch upon.Anyway, once I let it out, I felt that my memories had been refreshed, and I felt so relieved. I did nothave any nightmares or uncomfortable feelings at all.” Liu followed quickly, as if to comfort me: “I’mwilling to talk about it, even now. I can talk about anything with you. I’ll open my heart to share withyou. I’m willing to tell you, and you’re willing to listen to me.”I felt so gratified that this deep sharing experience had such positive impact on the teachers.I am deeply convinced that the stories of these three teachers can empower many others and in particularthose experiencing hardship. At the group meeting I suggested there and then that we publish the storiesto share them with more people. All three approved instantly.In July 2011, we conducted another round of interviews to hear from the teachers what had changed.By then, Yingxiu Primary School had moved into new buildings back in Yingxiu.The three teaches have had the final say about each and every sentence in this book. They ultimatelydecided which details to include or to revise, because I was clear that this would be a book about them.I cannot quite remember how many times we edited and revised the transcripts and drafts, but everytime I read it, I was blown away.I have been extremely fortunate to know Dong, Su and Liu personally. Despite their relative youth, Ihave learned a great deal from them over the time that we have worked together. In the past years, theyhave influenced how I understand, conduct and teach psychotherapy, and I have gained new insightsinto human resilience as well as new feelings about the display of gratitude. They are proof that humanscan constantly adjust and grow in the vicissitudes of life. Mr. Dong, Mr. Su, and Mr. Liu: thank you forsharing with me, befriending me and trusting me. Because of you, I am grateful.Dr. Timothy SIMAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Applied Social SciencesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)Director, PolyU-United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Collaboration Programme Page | 7

ForewordWANG Jinhua, Chief of Social Work Sub-ministry Department, Ministry of CivilAffairs, People’s Republic of ChinaDr. Timothy Sim is an expert in disaster social work. I came to know him through my involvement inSichuan University-Hong Kong Polytechnic University Institute for Disaster Management andReconstruction, as well as the social work service support group for Ludian earthquake. I was deeplytouched by his spirit and idealism. On sharing the draft of this book with me, he asked if I would writea foreword. I was deeply moved by the stories of the three protagonists before I even finished readingthe draft. Though they were not social workers, their stories brought me back to the earthshakingdisaster in 2008. I immediately and gladly accepted his invitation.Wenchuan earthquake, which took place on 12 May 2008, was one of the biggest natural disastersrecorded in human history. It was the greatest natural disaster in China since the 1976 Tangshanearthquake. It resulted in immense loss of human life and industry. Countless families were broken, andthe whole country mourned.China experiences frequent natural disasters, but each unexpected event is a challenge to the fabric ofour society. Over decades, China’s national disaster prevention and reduction system has beenstrengthened, and social engagement in disaster prevention and risk-reduction has improvedsignificantly.In face of natural disasters, societal forces such as social organizations and volunteers are activelyengaged in rescue, treatment of the wounded, material relief and post-disaster recovery. After Wenchuanearthquake, more than 1,000 professional social workers from all over the country participated inemergency rescue, temporary settlement of the affected people and post-disaster reconstruction. Theirefforts were acknowledged by local party committees, governments and citizens.The experiences of social work intervention during Wenchuan earthquake have served as a guide insubsequent disasters, including Zhouqu debris flow in Gansu Province, Yushu earthquake in QinghaiProvince, Lushan earthquake in Sichuan Province and Ludian earthquake in Yunnan Province,.Yet, compared with developed countries, the disaster social work intervention in China is still limited,both in breadth and in depth. Most people affected by disasters have no access to social workers, andtheir needs for psychological assistance and social support cannot be met immediately and fully. Oursociety needs to work together to meet the challenges of natural and social disasters, further improvingthe disaster relief system and effectively engaging professional social workers in the process.It has been seven years since the Wenchuan earthquake. What have the clients of social workers beenthrough during this time? What has happened to their lives? This book faithfully documents the storiesof three teachers from Yingxiu Primary School as they rebuilt their lives. Dong Xuefeng, LiuZhongneng and Su Chenggang were bereft by the earthquake but they all made the same choice: touphold their duties and rescue the trapped students. After the earthquake, they were also all met with Page | 8

the same problems: poor living conditions and bleak prospects. But with help from social workers andothers, they gradually found their way out of misery and grief, and began new lives of their own. It is amanifestation of the persevering spirit of the Chinese people.Compared with other works on disaster social work, this book, brought to us by Dr. Sim, is unique. Itnarrates, from the clients’ perspective, everyday people’s experiences of disaster and how they copewith its impact. The three teachers’ stories are deeply touching and to document them is a meaningfulundertaking. This work is a valuable treasure that will greatly help us to gain deeper understanding ofthe needs of disaster-affected people, and conduct social work practice and research.I look forward to the publication of this work, which I hope can offer both insights to our colleagues insocial work and inspiration to all people.Dr. Timothy W. TONG, Professor and President of The Hong Kong PolytechnicUniversityWhen the catastrophic earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, I was still livingin the United States. Despite the distance, the shocking scenes of ruined towns, debris and dying peopletugged at my heart, and those of the whole world. From then on, I knew about Yingxiu Town andYingxiu Primary School. In the blink of an eye, teachers and children were buried, forever, under theground, and many families changed irreparably. As a Chinese citizen, an educator and a parent, Iempathized deeply with the victims, but felt helpless and sad.In May 2013, five years after the earthquake, I visited Yingxiu with the intention of mourning andremembering. But I was amazed at what I saw there: the town, once ruthlessly destroyed by the disaster,was elegantly rebuilt, and people’s lives had been restored to normality. I saw the strength andperseverance of Yingxiu people—or rather, Chinese people—everywhere.Hong Kong Polytechnic University has been actively engaged in the rescue, relief, and reconstructionwork in the wake of the Wenchuan earthquake. Facing such a disaster, we felt bound to use whateverexpertise we had. The Post-Disaster Reconstruction School Social Work Project (now renamed HongKong Polytechnic University Sichuan Expanded Mental Health Network) has been providing servicesfor years in Yingxiu Town, Hanwang Town, Xinglong Town and Qingping Village to the disabled,teachers, parents and students, especially in psychological support and comprehensive family services.Outcomes have been positive.During my visit to Yingxiu, I came to know the three teachers on whom this book centers: DongXuefeng, Liu Zhongneng and Su Chenggang. All three were outgoing and talkative, and introduced meto the present and the future of Yingxiu Primary School. During dinner, they sang and dancedGuozhuang. Under the guidance and influence of these inspiring and passionate teachers, YingxiuPrimary School has a bright future.It was only when I opened this book Bouncing Back Together that I realized what unbearable weightthese three cheerful men I had met had carried on their shoulders. When the ground cracked open, their Page | 9

dearest family members left them forever. Between the lines in these pages, I can feel their helplessness,fear, grief and despair the moment Yingxiu was ravaged by the earthquake. But as well as sadness, Ialso developed a heartfelt respect for Dong, Liu and Su, who even after such excruciating loss, rescuedothers from death.The once picturesque town of Yingxiu was destroyed, and once happy lives ended. But the survivorschose not to indulge in grief, not to give up. Instead they helped each other stand tall once again andstart on a new journey. From the debris, they rebuilt Yingxiu Primary School, rekindled their students’hope and formed their own new families. Saying goodbye to the painful past, they are determined tocreate a better future.If you visit Yingxiu Town now, you will see brand new buildings, tidy streets, contented villagers andenergetic children. Yingxiu bounced back, all because of the unswerving belief and passion for life ofthe residents. Dong, Liu and Su are the best testament to that.I thank the three teachers for retelling and sharing their life stories and wish them, and all the residentsof Yingxiu, a joyful life ahead.WANG Sibin, Professor, Social Work Department, Beijing University; Presidentof China Association of Social Work EducationIt is already seven years since the Wenchuan earthquake, and every year since, on 12 May, I take amoment to look to the west, to Sichuan, and ask: Are the departed resting in peace? Are the survivorsliving a happy and safe life?This book recounts the stories of Dong Xuefeng, Liu Zhongneng, and Su Chenggang. These threeteachers experienced the earthquake, losing their families, struggling on during the rescue andcontributing to post-disaster reconstruction. This book reveals the psychological journeys they havetravelled: teaching and counseling students in spite of their own grief, overcoming loss and beginningagain. Reading this book, I have been impressed by the universal love, loyalty and strength of all three.I was once a primary school teacher too. After the Wenchuan earthquake, I visited primary andsecondary schools in Guangyuan City to follow up on the post-disaster school social work project,which had been jointly organized by China Association of Social Work Education and China YouthDevelopment Foundation. During my visit, I had close contact with the teachers and students there, sofeel a familiarity with the stories herein.The narratives are truthful and authentic. Out of a teacher’s responsibility, they rescued and took careof the students. As public employees, they participated in relief work as the government requested andbecame the new force of disaster relief. In a split second, they had become bereaved disaster refugeeswho should be looked after, yet they quickly joined the rescue force as survivors. Heavy workloads anda refusal to look back occupied their lives. When the demanding period of rescue work had ended andthe phase of post-disaster reconstruction begun, the three teachers—though busy as always—also hadto build new lives for themselves. Eventually, normality returned. Page | 10

These three teachers are heroes. But, undoubtedly, they are also ordinary teachers and common people.What can I say about their stories? What enabled them to provide services, post-disaster, comparable tothose provided by professionals? What allowed them to gradually start new lives? What insight can wedraw from their experiences to inform social work? These answers can be drawn from their own words.And, while theoretic analysis might seem too generalizing, I offer some humble thoughts.Social work emphasizes the context in which an individual is embedded. True, these teachers acted andlived in specific contexts, from one moment to another, their roles changing accordingly. When theywere engaged in rescue efforts after the earthquake, their function as teachers was prominent, andovershadowed their position as disaster victims. As teachers, they fulfilled their duties to the studentsand parents with single-mindedness and diligence, neglecting their own pain. It was only duringintervals between work that they rediscovered their bereavement and indulged in alcohol. When theirroles and contexts changed, they exhibited different behaviors. But their love and strength is a clearconstant throughout.Once the facts of what had happened and the impact of the disaster had become clear, and personalexpectations were either confirmed or not over time, life resumed. At first, it did so in an environmentof despair but, later, gained an optimism. Their focus on work fended off their emptiness, demonstratingthe strength of ordinary people and the healing power of time.The strength of ordinary people is what is called ‘resilience’ in social work. The social systems in whichthey operate and their increasing understanding of such systems catalyze the development of resilience.The perception and understanding of the developmental trend of social environment form the basis ofrational judgment. Resilience can be seen in the three teachers’ choices in the larger context ofemergency rescue and reconstruction. Resilience is also manifest in their passion for life and theirresolve to live better. It is also the resilience of Chinese culture: be strong and live on, both for thedeparted and for one’s own sake.In this process, time has played the role of a concealer. But it is precisely because of this constant, steadypassage of occupied time that the wounded finally heal and life eventually resumes. Time is the bestmedicine for the victim-survivors of the earthquake, without doubt.I think of a sentiment often expressed by frontline social workers engaged in rescue work: our task isto offer companionship. True, when disaster has come and cannot be undone, when rescue work hasbeen carried out systematically and methodically, when the victim-survivors are at a loss, the primaryrole for social workers is to keep them company and offer psychological support. Successfulreconstruction requires input from all disciplines, and social workers help to facilitate the reconstructionof social relationships, as people build new lives.Perhaps we should say there is a logical progression of the development of disasters and disaster-reliefwork, and the same with the coping and adaptation of disaster-affected people. As social workers, weshould acknowledge the agency of the victims, understand the impact of the disaster-relief mechanismand culture on their lives, recognize their inner resilience, and offer proper assistance when needed.Only by doing so can we really help.I am grateful for the stories shared by the three teachers, and believe that their experiences will bring Page | 11

the readers much more insight and cause for reflection, as well as a renewed love for our fellow humansand for life itself. I wish the three teachers of Yingxiu Primary School, and the groups they represent,all the very best.MAI Liwen, Director of MindsetAfter the devastating earthquake on 12 May 2008, Mindset were fortunate to work with Dr. TimothySim of Hong Kong Polytechnic University to quickly build an expanded mental health network in theaffected areas. The network responded to the needs of the disaster victims. But, unlike regular mentalhealth service providers, Dr. Sim and his team focused on both psychopathological treatments and onthe application of the socio-psychological perspective to bring out the potential of local people andcommunities, and help them take advantage of their own resources.The stories in this book are inspiring examples of such efforts, and reveal the resilience that inheres inall ordinary people. In Yingxiu Town, the earthquake epicenter, three teachers from a local primaryschool faced the unbearable: losing their beloved spouses and young children. It was an immense shock,and their lives were changed forever.They had been depressed and numbed themselves with alcohol; they had been lost and lingered in theshining memories of the past. But, as life continued and with the support of social workers, wider societyand their own inner strength, they gradually left their pain behind. Along with the newly rebuilt YingxiuTown, they turned a new page of life, with all the reflections on life and happiness that come after abrush with death.The misfortune of the three teachers brings tears to our eyes, but to see them bounce back after suchsuffering is even more touching. We are grateful that Dr. Sim has documented these ordinary yetbreathtaking stories, and believe that they should be shared widely so that more people can drawstrength from them.Currently, we are cooperating with Dr. Sim in preparation for the English translation of this book. Weare convinced that difference in language and culture will not constitute a barrier for such honest andpowerful stories to positively impact more lives; wonderful life experiences like these belong not onlyto China, but to the whole world.TAN Guoqiang, Principal of Yingxiu Primary SchoolA while ago, I received a phone call from Mr. Liu Yang. He invited me on behalf of Dr. Timothy Simto write a foreword for this book and sent the draft to me. Over the next few days, I read and re-readthe stories.This book is different from other reports of the earthquake: it not only offers a faithful and detailedaccount of the changes experienced by three of our teachers in their work, life and psychological state,but it also paints the picture of a beautiful, vivid Yingxiu Town that has bounced back. Upon eachreading, I taken back to the moment described, and re-experienced warmth, shock, fear, hopelessness, Page | 12

determination, consolation, gratitude… These bittersweet emotions reminded me of the summer inwhich I first came to know Dr. Sim.Dr. Sim and his team came to our school during the summer vacation of 2008. It was theircompanionship that enabled Yingxiu Primary School to rise so quickly from dust. The three teachers,and protagonists of this book, are not only my colleagues: they are more like younger brothers to me.Together, like any family, we have been through thick and thin. Before the earthquake, they had livedpeaceful and fulfilled lives. And then the disaster took their beloved families from them.They had been depressed and hopeless, but still never shied away from danger but instead devotedthemselves to the rescue efforts. The first people they rescued were not their own relatives, but thestudents that they had taught and cared so much about. For them, the hardest time was not the momentthat disaster struck, but the countless days following it, when they were tortured by blame and guilt.Faced with the choice to stay or to leave Yingxiu and our school, the three unanimously decided to stay.They shared one conviction—Yingxiu cannot do without a school! Dong Xuefeng, Liu Zhongneng andSu Chenggang represent the spirit of Yingxiu Primary School teachers. Because of their perseverance,we were able to resume classes in prefabricated buildings within the year. The teachers and studentsworked and studied with grateful hearts. And, because of them, our school has come first in the county-wide steering evaluation for five consecutive years.We are deeply aware that our achievements are inextricably linked to Dr. Sim and the social workers inhis team, who had cared for and accompanied us throughout. As well as being touched by the stories ofhow the teachers and students recovered, I was also moved by the passion and devotion of Dr. Sim andhis team, who stayed with us in Yingxiu for almost 2,000 days and nights. This book of bouncing back,written with heart and soul, deserves careful reading.New campus, photographed by WANG Yihui, 10 years old, fifth grader in Yingxiu PrimarySchool Page | 13

‘Circle of life’This photograph, entitled ‘Circle of life’, was taken by 12-year-old student Wu Wenjie fromYingxiu Primary School. Wu has written the following words about this photo: “The grass has tenacious vitality. Not even a prairie fire can destroy the grass. It grows again when the spring breeze blows. No matter how harsh the weather is, as long as it has roots, it will persist. This is the spirit of tenacity from which we all should learn. Although we have experienced such a big disaster like the May 12th earthquake, we should not be intimated by it and should live on, just like the grass.” Page | 14

Prelude: Yingxiu, the epicenterAn unheralded demiseThe morning sun rises in the east, and the river runs its winding course, reflecting a picturesque scene.This is how Yingxiu town, in Sichuan Province’s Wenchuan County, got its name: ‘Ying’ meaning‘reflect’, and ‘Xiu’ meaning ‘beauty’. It was May, and spring had come early. Primroses bloomed andbirds took to the skies, shaking off the fetters of winter. May in Yingxiu is always beautiful: the sunshines brightly over flower-dotted valleys and streams race through lush mountain forests. The day hadstarted peacefully, light rain falling. At dawn, the raindrops became curls of vapor. Across the Yuzixibrook, over the Xiangzhangpo hills and nestled among the green mountains and blue waters, lay YingxiuPrimary School. Thinly veiled in mist, as the sun reached across the mountain peaks and valleys, thetown, the flowers, and children’s smiling faces, glowed.If only Yingxiu Town and its school could have stayed undisturbed. It would have watched day afterday go by peacefully in the spring sunlight. Life would have rolled on and the seasons would havechanged, bringing joy and newness.After morning lessons, and then lunch, the call came: “Time for class, everybody!”Suddenly, out of nowhere, a painful cry came like a clap of thunder. The sound tore across the skies andcrashed onto the scene below. In a second, the already jagged hills of Xiangzhangpo were fractured, thewaters of the Yuzixi muddied and Yingxiu Town in ruins. All that could be seen of Yingxiu PrimarySchool was a dim yellow dust and school buildings all but collapsed. The flag pole was the only thingspared, standing stark among the debris, its national flag still clinging on.***At 2:28 pm on 12 May 2008, the earth had ruptured, 10 kilometers below the ground on which YingxiuTown stood. In just three seconds, the once-picturesque town was destroyed, not a single building leftintact. Soon after, the same catastrophe wreaked havoc all the way from the southwest to the northeastalong the Longmen mountain range, ripping a deep cut of 130 kilometers within 100 seconds. Wenchuan,Beichuan and Qingchuan counties were in ruins, those once idyllic scenes forever memories.Death-like silence fell. And then, the clatter of falling buildings, the throb of mountain slides, crash ofground opening and closing and chilling bursts of screaming… Amid the sound of hurried footsteps andout of horrifying ruins, came the cry: “My children, my poor children!” The sound spoke theinescapable truth: though it may wear the façade of immortality, life is fragile and fleeting.The bodies of 72 children were excavated and carried out of the ruins of collapsed primary schoolclassrooms; 190 remained buried. With them beneath the debris were more than 20 teachers. Very fewteachers’ bodies were found, and all were shielding children under their arms. Some of these childrenwere found alive as a result.On the fourth day after the earthquake, 15 May 2008, when the Shanghai fire brigade could no longer Page | 15

detect any signs of life, the school was demolished. As the dust settled, a suffocating silence fell overthe campus. Onlookers who had come to see the school one last time stood, immobile. Below the redflag still hanging to its flagpole, stood the school principal Tan Guoqiang, his eyes swollen and linestightly drawn at the corners of his mouth. His black hair had almost all turned white, and the bloodstains on the collar and chest of his shirt had darkened. Any hope that had been rekindled by the earlierrescue that day of a young teacher, Yin Qiong, was now gone. Tan opened his mouth to speak, but thecry uttered to the children when the earthquake had struck seemed to have exhausted his powers ofspeech. All he could manage was to weakly extend his arms towards the other two teachers there—LiuZhongneng and Su Chenggang—who moved towards him silently, in reply. The three men clasped eachother’s hands. It was hard to believe that those hands, now chapped with scars, belonged to teachers;hands that had saved many children from the rubble, but not their own.The teachers stood below the national flag in silence as if to complete a ritual, a ritual to say goodbyeto the teachers and students of Yingxiu Primary School as well as the spring of Yingxiu. The sadness intheir faces was well-worn but their eyes still told stories of pain. A little way off, a fourth man watchedthe scene. Seeing those desolate faces, tears rolled down the cheeks of Dong Xuefeng.Never drinkers before, these men could no longer fall asleep – even for a short while – without drinkinga jin of Chinese liquor. And even in sleep they were haunted by their relatives’ and children’s cries forhelp.When the earthquake struck and his was home destroyed, school teacher Dong harbored hope that hiswife and child were alive. His heart sank when, after the first head count, he did not find them, butconsoled himself with thoughts that they might be trapped somewhere, and that they would be found inthe searches. Yet even as his own family were missing, Dong could not abandon the school: he had torescue every life he could; he had to keep digging frantically in the debris to return those children,buried alive, to their desperate families.What about his wife and son? How far from him were they, as he dug in the rubble? When would theysee daylight again? Did they ever complain that their husband, their father, looked past the broken wallsand lumps of mud that covered them and instead worked tirelessly to rescue others’ loved ones? Had heforgotten his duties as a husband, as a father? Had he forgotten his own family and how they werewaiting, in the dark, for his warm hands to save them?Even as the sounds of breathing beneath the rubble became harder and harder still to hear, Dong couldnot give up, bound by his duty as a teacher; he could not abandon the children who were in his care butkept running, rescuing and digging in the debris.Suddenly, turning his head, he saw the doctors with a child, just rescued from the ruins. He saw theblack and white tracksuit, bought by his wife especially for the boy’s speech contest. Legs shaking, heknew that his son was back in the world.The child lay pale as ghost. Dong almost fell to his knees. He began to imagine that his son was in acoma, though he saw the sunken chest. He started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and then again, andagain. Holding the boy’s body in his arms and feeling the remaining warmth in his face, Dong couldnot believe that his son, who had run off to school only a few hours earlier, would never again open his Page | 16

eyes again or ask, “Shall I call you ‘teacher’ or ‘dad’ in class?”.Two blood relatives forever a world apart.Dong reasoned that his son must have suffocated. For a long time after, he could not shake the questions:what if it had been him and not his son beneath the rubble? What would death feel like? He didn’t havean answer. He resented destiny, which had denied his son even five seconds more before disaster struck.Perhaps, with another five seconds, he could have escaped: he was known as a good runner at school,and had been found in the stairwell, just a few steps from the door.It was in this collapsed stairwell that the largest number of children were found—80 bodies in total, allterrifying. The disaster came like a juggernaut that rolled over the once lively faces, leaving grooves ofdeath forever entrenched in the hearts of the survivors. The dark shadows of May fell like the doomsdaywith all its fear, numbness, despair, anger, loneliness, and grief.Liu Zhongneng understood this pain. It was ten days after the earthquake that Liu finally saw his son inthe ruins. For that time, his son had laid there, silently, as though asleep. His body was intact, no injuriesvisible. At that moment, Liu fell to the ground, full of self-blame: maybe he was not buried underneath?Was there enough space where he hid? Did his son die because they didn’t rescue him? Was he stillalive two or three days after the earthquake? Was he, a six-year-old child, hoping all that time that hisparents would come to save him? Seeing the expression on his son’s face Liu’s fears were confirmed:he must have been so eager to see his parents. And for this, Liu would blame himself for the rest of hislife.Su Chenggang saved many children from the debris, but the body of his own wife remained buried forseveral days. Su had begged the rescue team with all his remaining energy: please, do not hurt her, donot break her. Seeing her lifeless body being pulled from the ruins, Su cried helplessly. He wanted tothrow himself on her and hold her, but arms held him back. When he was calmer, he lay her down on abroken bed and covered her with the newest bedsheet he could find: the last gesture of tenderness thathe could offer.In the darkness among the ruins, the teachers made several fires, to tell those children still alive beneaththe debris: we are with you. We are the sparks of hope above the dead silence.Words are powerless in a catastrophe.The teachers knew that if they were given a pair of wings, they would carry their students on their backsand soar into the skies without any hesitation —No more fear of falling stonesor landslides.No need to walk a long mountain path,or worry that there’s not a home.Let’s not be afraid,we teachers stand by you.The storm will pass. Page | 17

Darkness will fade.Hunger and pain will die away.Flying is light,it won’t make blistered feet.‘May the perished rest in peace and the survivors live in spirits!’ It was a trite but comforting slogan.If only the families and their lovely children could be just like the carpets of azaleas along the MinjiangRiver, which, having faded this year, would bloom again next spring.***At 2:28pm on 19 May 2008, the seventh day after the tragedy, as is Chinese custom, the sound of sirensfilled the sky and the whole nation mourned in silence for the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake.Those who had continued to hope for miracles now yielded to fate. How can three minutes of silentmourning be enough to commemorate those once colorful lives now lost? A mother burst into tears asif she would never again experience another gentle and refreshing spring.And it was in this way that Yingxiu captured the attention of the whole world. People all over the globefelt their pain. In all the lament, concern, grief, prayer, blessings… the teachers and children in Yingxiuwho lost their lives saw spring come to an end in the most final of ways.Would the earthquake never happened, Tan Guoqiang, Dong Xuefeng, Liu Zhongneng, Su Chenggang,and all the ordinary teachers, husbands, fathers, would have lived happy and contented lives. Therewould have been arguments between couples, naughty children throwing tantrums, coughs and colds,but these are all part of the pattern of life.Life and death are not as simple as the rotating of crops in the fields or leaves decaying on the ground;nor is the pattern fixed as the changing of seasons. With a sudden nightmare, “everything is over at thatmoment. There is no more xingfu or hope in life”.Xingfu is to have your life and circumstances as you wish. In English, there is no such word; to conveysimilar meaning, one needs several words. And peoples’ ideas of xingfu differ endlessly. It may be amental state of joyfulness, contentment, and calm; or being comfortably well-off and socially well-connected. But to the post-earthquake Yingxiu residents, xingfu represents the vanished past that lingersin their minds. Xingfu means to still hope for the future even after such huge loss; xingfu is also in eachordinary, waveless day that they spend with their families.YingxiuYingxiu Town is in the south of Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province. It became a town in 1984,reputedly because of the first hydropower plant built there. Between 1958 and 1980, it had been YingxiuCommune, and from 1980 to 1984, Yingxiu Village. But this seemingly young town can be traced inthe historical records of China. According to the local annals, in the ancient years of Xianfeng (1851-1861), Yingxiu Unit, the historical antecedent of Yingxiu Town, was established.Records have it that Yingxiu Unit was always a strikingly beautiful place. Surrounded by mountains Page | 18

and framed by Yuzixi brook and Minjiang River, Yingxiu Unit was like a pearl in the palm of a large,gentle hand. Green mountains and blue waters formed a delightful contrast, and birds chattered in thedeep forests. Fields of crops lined the river banks. In summer, breezes dispersed the clouds and letsunlight onto the corn and potato plants growing there. Birds sang in the sky, old people smiledcontentedly, and the golden shadows of rapeseed flowers reflected on the fair faces of young women.Romping goats ran to the fields to the sound of whips.Yingxiu never had more than a hundred residents at its center. But stores and stalls lined the streets, andpedestrians milled around, all of which gave the impression of flourishing commerce and fortune. Thetown was decorated with foot bridges over rivulets, stone-paved streets and alleys, and fences andcourtyards, granting Yingxiu the full appearance of a ‘water village’.Though much of this remained the same in Yingxiu—the rivers, the mountains and the forests – thetown earned various different names over time. ‘Gateway to West Qiang’, ‘South gate of Aba Prefecture’and ‘Key town of northwest Sichuan’, thanks to its location between the city of Chengdu and AbaAutonomous Prefecture of Tibetan and Qiang Ethnicities. The north of Yingxiu is just 70 kilometersaway from Chengdu, and 45 kilometers west of Wolong Natural Reserve. It is also on the way to scenicresorts such as Jiuzhaigou Valley and Siguniang Mountain and is where the renowned 213 NationalHighway and 303 Provincial Road (the new Chengdu-Aba route) cross. Convenient transportation hasmade a huge contribution to the prosperity of Yingxiu.Despite all this Yingxiu, built on the banks of Yuzixi brook and Minjiang River, is mostly known as the‘hydropower village’. It is believed that Yingxiu became what it is mostly because of its water resources.The waters in this place have two beneficial features: first, the huge drop. The stretch of MingjiangRiver within Yingxiu is only 1,200 meters long, but a drop of 26 meters. Second is the richness of water.Apart from the wide, unceasingly flowing Minjiang River, the clear Yuzixi brook also dashes intoMinjiang River from Wolong Natural Reserve. These perfect conditions facilitated the construction ofa series of hydropower plants, giving the town its nickname.Yingxiu Bay Power Plant was key to the development of Yingxiu. On 11 October 1970, the YingxiuBay Power Plant went into operation, providing nearby Yingxiu Town with electricity. The low cost ofhydropower made electricity the most important energy source of the town: “Where there is ahydropower plant, there will be a city.”Of course, when the power plant was being built, everybody knew that it was located on the earthquakefault. Considerable hydro-geologic investigation efforts also proved that ‘the rocks on the two sides areindeed different; on one side, granite, on the other, shale.’ When construction was complete, anearthquake team comprised of Guangzhou locals was set up near the water intake. The team laterretreated to Pixian County.Yingxiu has always been geographically small, covering a total area of 115.12 km2 and with apopulation just over 10,000 people. There are eight administrative villages and one community residents’committee, respectively named Zhongtanbao Village, Yuzixi Village, Fengxiangshu Village,Zhangjiaping Village, Laojie Village, Huangjiayuan Village, Majia Village and Huangjia Village.Yingxiu Primary School stood at the center of the town, close to Minjiang River. Founded in 1939, it Page | 19

had been a model school of Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (‘Aba’). For tenconsecutive years, Yingxiu Primary School won the Annual Comprehensive Award, jointly elected byWenchuan County Party Committee and Bureau of Education. It also made rankings in prefecture-wideteaching contests, discipline evaluation, course preparation examination, subject research and so on.In 1999, Yingxiu Primary School was awarded the highest honor within the primary school system ofSichuan Province – that ‘Sichuan Model School of Good Ethos’. Teachers and students in YingxiuPrimary School were also famous in Aba for their artistic talents: the school won first place in the 2007Art Competition of Aba Educational System. Many parents in neighboring counties sent their child toYingxiu Primary School to get a better education. In its prime, the school had more than 1,400 students.With a weathered history of nearly a hundred years, Yingxiu Primary School both valued the respectand thirst for knowledge of past generations, and embraced and encouraged young teachers like DongXuefeng, Liu Zhongneng and Su Chenggang, witnessing their struggles and helping them mature.Not that the teachers were not crazily in love with the place, regardless of age or working experience:they simply responded to their duties as a teacher, to the mission and ethics of teaching, viewingthemselves as indispensable parts of in the machine of the school.Nor did they think of leaving, not for a year or a decade. Day after day, they instructed, illuminated andinspired their students. For them, it was more out of habit than of love that they could not leave. It wasa calmness in their blood. Their attachment to the school was reflected in the tiniest details of their lives:caring for the sick, concerns about a long trip, a bowl of rice or cup of tea served, the smiling face of astudent.What if they had to leave?What if they could never see the school again?What if all of this just vanished?They never even considered such a possibility. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. The earthquake,a wretched devil, devoured all the calmness and happiness that was once in Yingxiu, and etched itsname in China’s great catalogue of earthquakes. Gone was the picturesque scenery. And gone too werethe bonds, between teacher and school, between families.At that moment, they finally realized:Yingxiu,Your rivers are my blood vessels,Your land my skin,Your mountains my bones,And your lakes my eyes.Your scar is mine,Your pain mine,And your sufferings all mine. Page | 20

But it was already too late.They stood in the open field,And shouted incessantly,Like the cuckoo crying with a blistered throat,Towards the sky and the horizon:“Come back, Yingxiu!”“Back to life, to beauty, and to love!”“Yingxiu, you must come back!”Those once resolute figures, the once idyllic homeland, the once lovely and smiling faces, and belovedones once lived in peace all left without heeding their determined call. They were gone, for good.Everything was lost in the momentary shaking, rumbling and swaying of the earth.Yingxiu was all cuts and bruises,The people of Yingxiu all devastated,Yingxiu Primary School utterly shattered,And the lives of people like Dong, Liu, and Su all turned upside down.It felt like xingfu had left Yingxiu, never to return.Journey to rebirthThe 12 May 2008 earthquake was not the first to have struck Yingxiu. This fairytale town hidesinexorable dangers beneath the ground—it stands right on the geological faults. According to historicalrecords: ‘Wenchuan County is located in the Jiuding Mountain Cathaysian tectonic zone, with three major faults slantly crossing the whole county: Qingchuan-Maowen fault zone; Beichuan-Zhongtanbao (Yingxiu) fault zone; Jiangyou-Guanxian fault zone. The county and its neighboring areas have complex geological structures and rather frequent seismic activities. Within Wenchuan County, the three faults and folds zones are crisscrossed by small fractures, forming a series of earthquake swarms in the southeast. The earthquake swarms in the southeast of Yingxiu fault are located in Xuankou, Shuimo, Baishi, Sanjiang and so on…’It is impossible to know just how many earthquakes have taken place in Yingxiu throughout its longhistory. Between 1952 and 1984 alone, there were 46 earthquakes above 2.5M and 132 earthquakesbelow. Earthquakes registering below 1.0M were too frequent to count. Page | 21

The biggest earthquake recorded in Yingxiu's history took place on the eighth day of lunar March inShunzhi, 14 years into the Qing Dynasty (21 April 1657). Yingxiu was then under the jurisdiction ofWeizhou County, 58 kilometers north. The earthquake described in vivid detail in Records of Sichuanfrom the Kangxi years: ‘In the beginning, there was a booming sound underneath the ground, which kept going on day and night. Till the eighth day of March, the mountains collapsed, the ground cracked, and rivers all overflew. Most of the houses and city walls fell down and innumerable people were crushed to death.’The epicenter of that earthquake has been estimated to be 31°25′ north and 103°26′ east. The magnitudewas 6.0M and the intensity level 8.0. By comparison, the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquakewas 30°98.6′ north and 103°36.4′ east. It reached 8.0M and intensity 11.0. The geographic distancebetween the epicenters of the two earthquakes, 351 years apart in time, is negligible; from theperspective of seismic shock waves, the two epicenters can be regarded as one place.The description of the event in 1657 refers to a prelude to the earthquake: a booming sound comingfrom deep underground that continued for at least 24 hours before the Earth’s surface ruptured. Noticingthis warning sign, people 351 years ago left their homeland to seek safety. But in the 2008 Wenchuanearthquake, there was no sign of an earthquake being imminent, and people were left with no chance tobreathe, think, run or hide, let alone evacuate. Instead, the dark and wicked earthquake came withoutany warning.For a very long time, the possibility of a big earthquake in Yingxiu remained hypothetical. With thecontinuing water power and road construction projects as well as the opening of Wolong Reserve andJiuzhaigou Reserve, tourists began to travel past Yingxiu, giving this town a new bustle.Each spring, the cherry trees in the courtyards of Yingxiu households would blossom, followed by thosegrowing wild in the mountains. The spring water in Yingxiu had a sweet taste, and the tofu, tofu pudding,and dried tofu made with it had a special bean fragrance. In the evenings, people would light a fire atthe center of the town square, and everybody would join in the traditional Guozhuang dance. The localpeople were good at making smoked preserved pork: before the Spring Festival, they would build abrick stove half the height of a person, hang fresh pork above the stove and burn pine needles to slowlysmoke the pork. The famous dishes in Ruyi Restaurant such as double-cooked pork and spicy boiledmeat slices were popular among town people when they went there to have a drink…The town was beginning to prosper. Everyone in Yingxiu was enjoying the abundant rewards of years:growth, passage of time and gratitude.In a second, the 2008 earthquake destroyed the town’s infrastructure—water and power supplies, roadsand telecommunication; houses and buildings collapsed; even those once invincible-looking mountainscrumbled. Baihua Bridge broke across its middle, cutting Yingxiu off from the outside world.Information could not be sent out, and assistance could not come in.Official data put the pre-earthquake population of Yingxiu at over 160,000, and permanent residentsover 120,000. During the 12 May earthquake, in merely 100 seconds, the town was ruined, with Page | 22

casualties of 6,566. On the day of the earthquake, only 2,300 some people survived, among whom over1,000 of them were badly injured. In Yingxiu Primary School, 20 of the 47 teachers perished, and 222of the 473 students lost their lives. The school was demolished.Yingxiu began a tragic but heroic battle of rescue. Those coming to help waded across the river rapids.Go and save Yingxiu!Go and save our blood brother and sisters!Quick! And quicker!God, please give me a pair of wings,so that I can fly past the dark clouds, the towering mountains, and deep valleys,to Yingxiu.Survivors clung on, desperately, to life in the pouring rain, the muddy debris, in the cold and in hunger,while a rescue efforts of unprecedented scale that would astound the world came from all directions.“Yingxiu, you must come back! Back to life, to beauty, and to love!”Yingxiu, did you hear the poignant but firm call?When the painstaking rescue efforts ended, when kindness and grief were memorialized, reconstructionbegan.The passage of time may heal physical scars, but what about the pain in people’s hearts? Can lifecontinue?“Yes!”, came the affirmative reply. Dong Xuefeng, Liu Zhongneng, Su Chenggang, and all the YingxiuPrimary School teachers knew that Yingxiu’s life and spirit would not be destroyed. Despite the manylives that were lost, a strength of feeling that did not exist before was now growing in their hearts. Itwas love—for the students and their families, for Yingxiu and the future.It is the steadfastness of principal Tan Guoqiang’s words: “Yingxiu must have a primary school.”It is the unrelenting sentiment expressed by teacher Dong Xuefeng: “Rise in sufferings, reborn fromruins.”It is the determination of teacher Liu Zhongneng’s “Everything of mine is in Yingxiu.”It is the realization expressed in teacher Su Chenggang’s words: “Happiness is the life that you can seewith your eyes and touch with your hands.”It is the words of teacher Zhang Miya: “Take my wings and fly.”The names of Dong Xuefeng, Liu Zhongneng, Su Chenggang are remembered because, when Page | 23

everything was lost, these three men began a brave new journey towards happiness. They knew thatsadness was only one part of the human experience—“Sad, but not desperate. It’s more commendableto learn from sadness and maintain a heart that is rendered fragile by love.” They knew that love iswhere everything begins again. Just like before. And with this realization, happiness returned.This book documents the experiences and stories of how these three teachers lived through theearthquake, their efforts to rebuild their lives, what they understand of happiness, and their hopes andplans. Page | 24

Chapter 1. ‘Make life shine’ – Dong Xuefeng before the earthquakeThe incomparable beauty of family lifeIn 2008, Dong Xuefeng was 34 years old and had been teaching for 15 years. Like all those who aspireto travel, was awed by the vastness of world. But he kept to his small classroom rostrum, and insteadtravelled the road to becoming a respected teacher. And in this way, days passed one after the other,without a trace.Sometimes, in the deep of night, Dong’s thoughts would turn to the ephemeral nature of time: how wesee the world depends on who we are and what we believe. Does the value of life lie in the meaning wegive it?In Ecclesiastes, Solomon said, ‘There is no new thing under the sun’. Seneca also said: ‘Of the otherarts there are many teachers everywhere… It takes the whole of life to learn how to live.’ Dong wantedto measure the meaning of life with traces of his thoughts; therefore, he had always been trying to makelives shine with his own efforts.Never once had Dong imagined what he would do when, one day, disaster struck. Would he be scared,helpless and panicked, or steadfast, struggling, keeping a stiff upper lip? The 34-year-old man had notyet come to know that life could only shine miraculously after it has gone through trials and pains, likestones on the seashore, breaking, colliding, eroding, then smooth.Dong knew he was an ordinary man. So he played his part, instinctively: son, husband, father andteacher.At Yingxiu he taught Class 1 Grade 5, and was responsible for teaching management. After years ofexperience, it was all second nature. But on the morning before the earthquake struck, Dong felt tired.It was as if he had been doing heavy chores for days or had been fighting with a group of drunks. Hefelt limp and dizzy. Perhaps this is what it feels like to be weightless on the moon! He smiled at his ownimagination.And so, when the school bell rang for lunch, Dong rushed home. He lived in a five-storey facultyapartment on the corner of the school campus. It was a short distance from the teaching building andmost of the other staff also lived there.Sinking into the sofa, the medium-built, dark-skinned man muttered to himself like a child who’s beenhanded sweets: “School is home, home is school. How great!”His wife, Tang Chaoxiang, called: “Lunch is ready! Today I’m serving two ‘bulky dishes’, braisedpotato and braised tofu.”Dong chuckled and rose to open the door. “Well, well, Ms. Tang, as the leader of the language teachingteam, and a classroom teacher, you need to work harder on your vocabulary and phrasing. If it wereme, I would say, one dish is braised, and the other is also braised. If you adopt this Lu Xun style, youwould appear much more refined.” Page | 25

Tang put the dishes on the tea table in the living room and answered apologetically: “Okay, my greatmaster of the Chinese language, which ‘braised’ dish do you want? Braised pork won’t be ready untildinner time. It’s been busy today and I had no time for grocery shopping. I bought these from thecafeteria; let’s make them do for lunch.”“I can make do, but what about our carnivore son? A lunch without meat… How unhappy would hebe?” Imagining Xuhao’s disapproving face, Dong was amused.“Don’t be silly.” Seeing through her husband, Tang went to the kitchen, took the pork from the fridgeand put it in a basin: “Don’t use our son as excuse. Aren’t you a carnivore yourself? See, I will makebraised pork for you two in the evening. Just control your cravings for an afternoon. Now eat quicklywhile it’s still hot. Xuhao may be back any minute.”Dong took a mouthful of rice. “Humph! You belittle the carnivores! I eat and eat: I eat braised potatofirst and then tofu, just like I eat braised pork ribs first and then pork slices.”Sitting opposite and hearing this grumble, Tang picked up the chopsticks and smiled: “Well, I will followsuit and eat pork ribs first and then pork slices.” She took a mouthful of rice too.Married for 12 years, Tang seemed always able to know Dong’s thoughts, and she was always on hisside – whether he was happy and joyful, or upset and sad. She spoke again: “Is today some kind ofspecial day? I received a blessing message from someone today and it was kind of funny. It said: ‘Don’tmake yourself too tired, don’t work until exhausted; whatever you want to eat is not pricey, and whateveryou want to wear is not a waste of money; when upset, go party with friends, and when tired, sink intoyour bed. Keeping a calm mind is the best, and feeling happy everyday wins the rest.’”“I don’t think it’s a special day,” answered Dong. “Whoever came up with that must be talented. If theyput such effort into work and study, imagine what they would achieve.”“Enough, enough” said Tang, in feigned anger. “Stop being a teacher and lecturing all the time.” Sheplaced some tofu in Dong’s bowl and, with such joking, the couple finished their simple lunch.This was Dong’s daily life. To him, their home was not a shelter to protect them from storms, but themeans to a happy life; even occasional quibbles between husband and wife were borne of care for eachother.Straight after lunch, Tang began to gather the bedsheets to wash. Her workload at the school had beenheavy recently, but still she managed the housework. She seemed to be busy all the time—in the kitchen,in the classroom, in the homes of parents on both sides of the family. Seeing his wife tidy the house,Dong, who was at the computer working, felt a tide of warmth. Isn’t this the life that he has alwaysdreamed of? A life where all members of the family cared about each other and got along well – aperfect combination, like the taste of egg and the scent of spring onion. The beauty of family life wasincomparable. Page | 26

Between father and sonDong Xuefeng was born in Longchi Town of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, in 1974. Yingxiu ishis ancestral home. At the age of four, he moved to Hongyuan County of Aba Prefecture with his parents,and graduated from Ma’erkang Normal School in 1993. He married Tang Chaoxiang three years laterand had a son, Dong Xuhao, in 1997. He lost them both in the 2008 earthquake, along with his motherwho passed away in Dujiangyan TCM Hospital. Dong’s mother was 60 years old, Tang, 34, and theirson, 11.Having grown up on the plains in Hongyuan County, Dong has the spirit and temperament of the Tibetanpeople. He is bold and forthright, like a horse that gallops across green pastures. Straightforward, sincereand uncalculating, his face shows his emotions. He likes Tibetan folk songs and dances and has manyTibetan friends. Even after 20 years of being away from Tibetan lands and losing the rough redness onhis cheeks, his Tibetan complex remains undiminished.Dong’s own father devoted his life to the educational cause of Hongyuan County. At 16, Dong’s fatherhad set up schools in the Tibetan-inhabited areas of Hongyuan County. He had successfully establishedprimary and secondary schools, and was appointed the teacher in charge of Ethnic Honor Class. Theday his 25-year teaching career ended, the 41-year-old man was promoted to Party Committee OfficeDirector of Hongyuan County. Nine years later, after three terms in office, he was promoted to sub-prefect of the County—in charge of culture, education and health—and served there until retirement.To the local people, Dong’s father was a prestigious and respectable teacher and leader. He was alwaysvery strict with Dong, the oldest son in the family, and doted on his daughter, who was five yearsyounger. He hoped that his son would follow his path and live up to his expectations, and so when Dongmisbehaved as a child, the punishment was often harsh. As a consequence, Dong felt more reverencethan intimacy for his father, and often lived for his approval more than to follow his own heart. In turn,this influenced the way Dong educated his own son: many things are inherited through blood, and onlydid Dong come to this realization after losing Xuhao.What is a father? There is a poem that says: ‘When I was innocent and ignorant, father was a mountain. Sitting on his shoulders, I could always see very, very far. When I grew up, father was a bent but unyielding pine tree. I only came to understand then, how much I weighed in his heart. Now, father, you are a profound poem. Your son read it silently and shed tears softly…’To Dong, his father, with his good reputation in Hongyuan County, had over time become anembodiment of pride. He once went to Sizhai, where his then-retired father used to work. You only seesuch places on TV now. The day his father left his post, the local people blocked the road, holding‘hada’s and local delicacies, and all queued up to wish him well. Yet Dong had not felt the warmth ordepth of fatherly love. His father was a strict man, and the person that Dong feared the most; when hesaw him, people said Dong was like a mouse sitting before a cat.Dong lived in the countryside until the age of four, when he relocated with his mother to join his father Page | 27

in Hongyuan County. This was the first time that the whole family reunited. Before that, his father wasbut a stranger to him. Children, particularly those who have grown up in the quiet of the country, arenaturally afraid of strangers. Each summer and winter vacation, his father would come home and Dongwould be brought to him by his exhilarated grandmother: “Look who’s coming!” Unfortunately, he onlyfelt scared by the man with thick whiskers on his face and a cup in his hand. He couldn’t utter the word‘dad’, so he dashed out of his grandmother’s arms and rushed to the kitchen where his mother was. “Iclung to my mother’s legs when she was making noodles.”At an age when ‘father’ was still a vague concept to Dong, his first memory of his father was associatedwith fear.Reunited in Hongyuan County, Dong’s feelings towards his father began to change gradually:“My father picked me up from the kindergarten every day. Sometimes when it rained, he would wrapme up in his raincoat. I could only feel his hands moving. I felt secure even though I couldn’t seeanything in there.”Once, in kindergarten, Dong and a boy named Gong Yu were verbally insulted by an older boy. Dongand Gong decided they would fight back. But they had barely touched him when the older boythreatened to tell the teacher. What? Tell the teacher? How serious this was to such young boys.“We were both scared then because the teacher said if we misbehaved, we would be locked up in a darkroom. That’s a literal detention! It was said that the room had tigers and snakes locked up in there too.”So, what could they do? They ran!The two panicked boys hid in the courtyard of a drilling project and stayed there the whole morning.When lunch time came, their stomachs growled. Hoping to grab something to eat, they emerged fromthe courtyard and were immediately caught by Dong’s father. Dong expected his father to disciplinehim, he expected a torrent of chastisement. But he heard no blame. Instead, his father gave him a deeplook, took him to the kindergarten teacher and left. Dong was confused.The second time that Dong played truant, he was in primary school, where he often got into trouble.Dong’s father was very strict about his study: when Dong started writing Chinese characters, he wouldstand behind and watch. If he wrote strokes in the wrong order: thwack; if he wrote ugly strokes: thwack;if he wrote too slowly: thwack. Dong, already scared, was made even more nervous with his fatherstanding behind his back. Nervousness had made homework a painful task.It is this experience as a child that, in some ways, influenced Dong’s attitude towards homework whenhe had become a teacher himself. He is strongly against lots of homework for children. For instance, ifthe first graders have learned the pinyin letter ‘ɑ’ today, they need to write a line of ‘ɑ’s. The next daythey learn ‘o’, they have to write a line of ‘ɑ’s and a line of ‘o’s. The third day they learn ‘e’, they writelines of ‘a’s, ‘o’s, and ‘e’s. Children write slowly, and even more slowly when there is a ton of homework.Also, because they have to write well or else they might get punished, they would become fearful. Suchpsychological burden can easily arouse adverse mentality in the children.Dong decided he would avoid this pain by not completing the homework: if there were ten questions, Page | 28

he would tell his father he had finished once he’d completed five. By doing so, he fell behind in classand was often in trouble with the teacher for not finishing his work. And yet he always did well—topof the class—in exams.In the fourth year of primary school, Dong found himself with far too much homework for a week night.For Chinese studies alone, Dong had to write all the new characters from lesson one to 20, two diariesand two compositions. For fear of his father watching over him for hours, Dong played his old trick.He finished copying the characters, completed one diary entry and finished just the beginning of acomposition. He told his father homework was done and was set free.But this feeling of freedom was short-lived. The next morning before school Dong was anxious, uneasythat he’d yet again failed to finish the work he’d been set. On the way to class, he bumped into a friendwho hadn’t done the work either. The two of them exchanged ideas and decided to find a place to finishthe remaining tasks. They hid in a woodwork shed, intending to complete their homework on the pileof discarded boards and then go to class. But before they had time to finish, they heard their teacher andall their classmates looking for them.“We knew we were in big trouble, so we didn’t dare come out. Then what did we do? We tried tocamouflage ourselves with all those boards. We found a corner in the shed and made a tall, cross-likeframework. Outside that framework, we piled up all kinds of stuff. This way, they wouldn’t be able tosee us from the outside. We crawled in and hid. And because we climbed to the top, we could seethrough the cracks and know what was happening outside.”In this way, Dong saw his teacher, classmates and father searching for them. He saw all the anxiety andworry on their faces.“Once my dad came, I was even more afraid of coming out. There was nothing to eat in the shed, andto make things worse, it started raining. The adults sounded the gongs and yelled ‘Two children arelost!’ until the night came. Afterwards I heard that the radio and TV stations were also looking for thesetwo lost children. All this turmoil going on outside scared us even more. We didn’t dare to come outsideand just hid there through the first night after missing school, totally hungry and cold.”Early next morning, the combined impact of hunger and cold forced them to act recklessly. The otherboy managed to get two chunks of thick marinated pork from his friend in a lower grade.“The portion of fat was this thick!” Recounting the story so many years later, Dong smiles as hedescribes the piece of meat, holding up his thumb and forefinger.After such generosity, the number of truant children in the shed rose from two to three. The threechildren, who had for the first time begun a communal life, had an even bolder idea. “The meat was toofatty, which we couldn’t afford to mind. But we also knew that we have to economize on it.” Notknowing how long they had to endure there, they began to strategize for the future. “Why not walkalong the road towards Chengdu!”“How reckless were we, would you say? We weren’t planning to go home at all,” immersed in memories,Dong sighs and continues, “In fact, many children get lost nowadays due to similar reasons.” Page | 29

When they were devising the plan, they were a bit too loud and were overheard by a retired teacherpassing by the shed. They saw the teacher and realized they were exposed. Before they could make amove, the shed was besieged by more teachers. The children were scared and wouldn’t come downfrom the wood pile, so they were forcefully brought by the teachers to their respective parents.“My mother nearly broke down. She was sleepless all night. Once again, my dad didn’t beat me for mywrongdoing. He just told me softly to have some porridge and go to bed.”The incident was dismissed by everyone. Afterwards, nobody ever showed interest in or mentioned itagain. It was like waking up from a dream. Dong was still an excellent student that always came firstin exams. He was also chosen to join the summer camp organized by the party committee of HongyuanCounty and elected to be the county-level Outstanding Young Pioneer. Perhaps these honors were a wayfor the teachers and parents to comfort Dong, a good student and a good child who had made a mistake.“It taught me the wise way to educate my son and the students: if I see you as a good child, then I willhelp you to develop in the way that a good child does.”After that, Dong matured all but overnight. He never again did anything out of line in his school years.Once frequently beaten by his father, he never had another taste of those hard fists. Though still fearful,Dong began to develop some sense of respect for his father and secretly wished that he would be justlike him.“My dad always said, you didn’t do well, so you deserve to be beaten. To me, he was indeed a bit too‘fierce’ as we usually say in the Sichuan dialect. I always felt closer to my mom than to my dad. As theyears passed, I gradually understood my dad was right in certain aspects. However, my understandingof his approach does not mean that I will do the same for my own child.”Bearing the marks of the era and his family, Dong decided to become a teacher when he was choosingcareer. Before making that decision, he had a conversation with his father.“What is your dream exactly?” His father wanted truthful answer.“To be a teacher, or a driver.” That was indeed what Dong had in mind.“When we graduated, the policy was to allocate better graduates to places with better conditions. Therewere 13 counties in Aba Prefecture. Within the boundary of Zhegu Mountain were allocated graduatesfrom Weizhou Normal College, and beyond it were those from Ma’erkang Normal School. My dad wasa Yingxiu local, but he spent his whole life working in Hongyuan County and didn’t contribute to hishometown at all. He felt very regretful about this. Therefore he hoped that I could come back to Yingxiu,to home.”Before the final assignment, the official from the Allocation Office asked Dong’s father: “Where is hegoing? Wenchuan? Lixian? Or Maoxian?”Dong’s father replied: “Wenchuan.”“Which town in Wenchuan?” Page | 30

“Yingxiu.”Being a ‘double-excellence student’, Dong granted his father’s wish and linked his teaching career withhis ancestral home, Yingxiu.Before Dong left home, his father thrust 200 Chinese yuan into his hands and said affectionately: “Son,you father gave all his life to the Tibetan region and to the educational career. Although I love my job,I still had my hometown on my mind all the time. So, son, you will work for our hometown and serveour people. You shall work hard and make effort in Yingxiu. The career of a teacher was picked byyourself, so even if it can only offer you an austere life…”His father wasn’t being entirely straightforward, but Dong understood what he meant and expected.Perhaps it was from that moment, the complex that combined ‘Yingxiu’ and ‘teacher’, passionatelyloved by his father, was passed on to the hands of Dong.New teacher’s ambitionHaving graduated from Ma’erkang Normal School in 1993, Dong became involved in Yingxiu’s ‘Oneteacher, one school’ program. The first primary school he worked in was Toudaoqiao Primary School,7 kilometers into the valley towards Wolong, where he stayed for four years. The program meant thatone teacher should perform the functions of a whole school, and so as well as teaching, Dong was alsoresponsible for the children’s day-to-day care. Some children lived far away and brought lunch to schooland he would heat the lunches for them during lunch break. When the children finished eating, then hewould heat his own lunch. “When I just arrived, I had only a dozen or so students. The largest numberI have ever reached was 40 some students, from pre-school to grade four,” Dong recalls.Toudaoqiao Primary School basic, even primitive, and Dong was determined to give it a completelynew look. He transformed the storeroom into classroom, which he further divided into two rooms witha half wall. In this way he solved the problem of classroom shortage.“The desks and chairs all looked battered. But there was an old cabinet, inside which was someequipment for science experiments!” This was indeed a windfall for Dong. But there were also someless exciting surprises in store at Toudaoquiao.“I slept on a single bed and faced a ceiling full of holes through which I could directly see the stars atnight. The neighbors were farmers, and the two households owned a courtyard. Since the school didn’thave a yard, we shared the courtyard with the farmers. Beside the school was a mill, and all thehouseholds in the village needed to grind corn flour there. While I was lecturing, they were grinding.And when classes were over, they also finished grinding. I knew that they were not on purpose; it wasjust that we worked around the same time. Still, the loud grinding sound disturbed the students in class.”What could he do about this? Since the local people would never listen to his verbal protest, Dongdecided to go on a strike and “force” the villagers to apologize to the school.A strike? How dare Dong Xuefeng openly antagonize the whole village! They had invited him there toteach, not to go on a strike and flex his muscles! Page | 31

Of course, the strike was a means to an end: a necessary evil. The lessons that were missed due to thestrike were taught to the students on Saturdays. Dong saw that the children had little academicgrounding and knew that, as their teacher, he mustn’t lead them astray but had to help them improvequickly. He fought hard for a quiet class environment for the students. And the children nagged theirparents too: “Mom and dad, do you want me to study or not? I miss school. I miss Mr. Dong and myclassmates.”Soon the strike began to show results. The villagers would finish producing their weekly supply in asingle grind and come to the mill again. But the characteristically serious and fastidious Mr. Dong wouldcheck each student’s homework by himself and would not let the student leave until everything wasfinished and finished well. Consequently, the students left school later and later. The villagers, who justmade apologies about the grinding, found it embarrassing to blame the teacher; after all, the teacher wasdoing this for their own children. In this way, the quality of school education was guaranteed withunderstanding and tolerance on both sides.But Dong was far from satisfied. He wanted to do more to help the school grow. To really makeimprovements, Dong spent much of his spare time in the Urban Construction Bureau of WenchuanCounty. His efforts paid off: the government offered a 10,000 yuan grant to the school. As a result,running water was installed, so the children no longer needed to bring drinking water, and the Bureaualso donated their old office desks, which addressed the shortage of classroom tables.His next idea was to knock on the door of the village director and, eventually, the village bought a black-and-white television for the school. Though they had to share the satellite dish with neighboringvillagers, Dong was grateful. The village committee also then began to support the extension of theschool buildings. Voila! Now Dong not only had a well-sheltered dorm room, he also had a kitchen!In a few years, Dong’s work, along with cooperation and support from all parties, paid off: ToudaoqiaoPrimary School was a place transformed. In 1996, they could accommodate two teachers and the localchildren could attend up to grade four. After that, they only needed to finish grade five at YingxiuPrimary School, when they would be qualified to take the entrance exam for secondary school.Before this, if a child, having finished grade three, wanted to continue to secondary education, they hadto travel the long journey to Yingxiu Primary School, over hills and dales, at just eight years old. It wasa huge mental and physical challenge for both the children and their parents, and being able to stay atToudaoqiao Primary School for another year was a huge change.In 1997, a teacher named Tang Yongzhong was also appointed to Toudaoqiao Primary School. Fromthen on, Dong had a partner, both in work and in life.It was in June that year, on Children’s Day, that Dong was commissioned to take the children ofToudaoqiao Primary School to Yingxiu Primary School for a gala. He managed to put together threedecent performances: singing, a short comedy sketch and dancing, and set himself the task of reclaimingthe organ to accompany the students’ singing. They bought materials and made performance clothes,and upon learning that there was an exhibition element to the celebration, Dong trained the students indrawing and handcraft. On the day, he borrowed a farm vehicle and took the students and all their workto the venue. Page | 32

Opportunities favor those who are well prepared. Not only their performances were well-received, butthe students’ drawings and handcrafts were very popular. The teachers from Yingxiu Primary Schoolhad heard that Dong Xuefeng was an excellent teacher; now, they began to appreciate and respect him.In particular, Yingxiu Primary School’s principal was very much impressed. He even hoped to keep thestudents’ work on display for a whole week.“To show them is fine, but the works have to be protected well.” Dong was not a bit intimidated by thestatus of the principal or worried that his words might hurt the principal’s pride. In his mind, it was thechildren’s work that really mattered—such was his purity as a teacher, and single-mindedness as aperson.The sensational effect of the two things Dong did helped Toudaoqiao Primary School receive the‘Flagship School’ honor that year. Dong himself also quickly became a model teacher in Yingxiu Town,though these so-called honors and titles were of little importance to him.In 1997, shortly after the autumn semester had begun, a car was sent by Yingxiu Primary School tocollect Dong, “the all-rounder”, and bring him directly to the school.Dong was confused. It couldn’t be because of his father’s influence. Dong knew how his fatherconducted himself; while he had influence in the town, he would never use it to his son’s advantage.Backdoor deals for his son’s comfort or career development—it was simply not his style.Dong shared this great news with his father, who said, with a smile: “Son, I’m so happy for you.” Andthen, in a second, his father changed his tone and spoke meaningfully:“Feeling happy aside, you should not become conceited because of this achievement. Life is a processof accumulation. The more you put into your bottle, the more you will have in the end. The school offeredyou a fast-track promotion because they have high expectations of you. You’re not only expected to keepdoing what you’ve been good at, you also need to explore and further develop your abilities. So, youmust become a better teacher, work harder and discover more good techniques, because too many thingsare waiting for you to accomplish, to overcome, and to realize.”It was a conversation between two generations of educators, a heart-to-heart between father and son—and, more importantly, an exchange between two men of encouragement and expectations, about careerand responsibility. His father’s words instilled warmth and power in Dong. The young man, who hadbeen teaching conscientiously in Toudaoqiao Primary School for four years, began the next phase of hisjourney.Later, he came to know about the whole thing from a conversation with the Yingxiu Primary Schoolprincipal. Dong’s successful Children’s Day celebration and his reputation had impressed the principal.With quite some effort, he was finally able to offer Dong a position in his school. And as for Dong’sfather, he never exerted any of his influence on this matter. Because of that, Dong was proud of bothhis father and himself.Energized by the confidence and trust that the Yingxiu Primary School principal had in him, and toreturn the kindness shown to him, Dong put even more effort into his new job. He volunteered to do all Page | 33

the school’s publicity, sacrificing his weekends and spending every moment he had on either thestudents or the school. In 1998, along with the school’s new art teacher, he successfully organized alarge-scale exhibition entitled “Universal Education”, which had a huge impact on schools acrossYingxiu.“At that time, I didn’t work for money. I just felt passionate about what I did and was willing tocontribute all I have. The year-end bonus was a mere 150 yuan then! Still, I believed the discovery ofmy potentials and the demonstration of my talents during work were much more important than moneyor livelihood.” At the time, he didn’t realize that his perseverance would mean he would never live amediocre life. “Whenever I became immersed in my work, I would get invigorated all over. And suchinvigorated status at work influenced and determined the quality of my life—my inner peace.”Dong speaks plainly, but his words are wise. For all his experiences, he expresses a deep gratitude andstrong emotions. The more you invest, the greater your returns.He and sheIt was during the same time, with the same perseverance and commitment, and by giving his wholeheart, that Dong also won over the love of his life.His wife, Tang Chaoxiang’s hometown was Yinxing Village, 22 kilometers north of Yingxiu. Tang wasthe youngest of four children. Her parents were simple farmers, but they knew that education couldchange a person’s destiny. Tang’s oldest brother was then the section chief of the Personnel Unit in theEducation Bureau, and her second oldest brother the head of Panzhihua City Vocational and TechnicalSecondary School. Only her oldest sister stayed at home and farmed. Tang returned to school again aftergraduation and took up teaching, just like Dong.In 1994, Tang’s cousin, who went to Weizhou Normal College with her, introduced Dong. Having heardso much about this ‘hero’ who had grown up on the big prairie, Tang had long harbored inexplicablefeelings towards Dong. But when they met, what happened between them might be called love at firstsight: “On the first day we met, we immediately felt that we had so much in common. Our conversationlasted into late night that day.”But the future wasn’t certain. Corresponding across the mountains was difficult, and for some time theylost contact. Dong hadn’t hoped for much to begin with. But just as he was beginning to think it was alla cruel joke played by fate, Tang appeared at Toudaoqiao Primary School, where he was then working.The moment he saw her, Dong felt all the dark clouds hanging over his heart were dispersed all at once.The seed of love was sown and began to grow roots into the soil.Dong was amazed. But he was also impressed. In his mind, it was not easy for a young woman to musterenough courage to come to him, not to mention traveling the great physical distance between them. Hecould think of no better way to repay her than to shower her with even more love.Tang graduated a year later than Dong and was appointed to Zengpo Primary School in WenchuanCounty. The school was built upon a very high hill and was in even poorer condition than Toudaoqiao. Page | 34

The first time that Dong went to Tang’s school, he trudged for hours along the mountain path before hefinally saw her. When this pure, modest and determined primary school teacher ran to him excitedlywith rosy cheeks, tears fell from Dong’s eyes. At that moment, the protectiveness inside him wasawakened. He swore that, in the days and years ahead, he would work hard to provide for this youngwoman a life of abundance, decency and happiness.What is xingfu?To Dong, xingfu was when a couple could live through the mundanity of everyday life. Even when lifewas difficult, they would still enjoy each day, sunbathing and chit-chatting for hours. Xingfu was when,no matter how reckless you were, there was always another person encouraging and supporting you.And every time you thought of each other, it would feel like being touched by the sunlight of spring.Xingfu was even when two people could not see each other, but could still find comfort in the thought“It’s good enough to just quietly think of you like this…”Once their parents on both sides had approved and blessed them, the pace of Dong and Tang’srelationship accelerated. Tang wrote a passionate and sincere letter to Dong, hoping that she could createa happy life with him in the many years to come.For two years, the village children were treated to familiar scene: every Friday evening, Mr. Dong wouldanxiously wait on the Yingxiu street with a bike beside him. He would peer into the window of eachpassing car, hoping to see the lovely, smiling face of his beloved. When at last she arrived from themountain, Mr. Dong would take her on his bike and ride 7 kilometers to Toudaoqiao Primary School.On Monday morning, Mr. Dong would ride the same 7 kilometers back and drop this lovely woman atthe Yingxiu Bus Station. For two years—80 weeks—this was how it happened, again and again, rain orshine.In 1996, though their finances and working lives were not yet ready for a marriage, Dong put a ring onTang’s finger. He couldn’t wait to shelter this tiny young woman under his strong arms. And he waseager to offer up all his feelings of warmth and lasting love.Once being married, the couple continued to live apart, one in Toudaoqiao Primary School, the other inZengpo Primary School. Their time together was short, and those journeys on Dong’s bike a symbol oftheir affection and longing.Soon the couple were expecting a baby. “She was a very strong and persevering young woman. In 1997,only when she neared her due date, was she willing to ask for leave from the school. Until then, she hadstuck to her work on the mountain.” When Dong talks about his beloved wife, his tone one of respectand tenderness. But he knew that they must not be immersed in their love for each other, because theirroles and responsibilities as teachers could tolerate no negligence.Tang gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Several years later, when Dong’s younger sister had a daughter,his parents said, delightedly: “What a good life we have! We have a son and a daughter ourselves, andour son now has his son and daughter has her daughter. Life is getting better day by day!”And who could deny this? Although the newly-weds were still living under tough conditions, both of Page | 35

them scrimped and saved to study more and improve their circumstances. Even when their son wasborn, they financed everything themselves as their parents were unable to help with money. Thosepoverty-stricken days were deeply imprinted in both their memories.When they finally paid off their debts and had savings of 10,000 yuan, Tang’s mother was suddenlydiagnosed with uremia. The hospital in Dujiangyan City told the family that the disease was terminaland hemodialysis must be performed immediately. Tang cried on the spot. Dong signed the hospital’sinformed consent form.With his wife still crying, his brother- and father-in law absent, and his mother-in-law now in shockafter the procedure, Dong was distraught. Sores appeared around his mouth overnight. But, as a man,as a pillar of support for his wife, and as the son of his mother-in-law, he must not look scared orcowardly or even anxious, because that would ignite the feelings of grief.Dong said to his wife in forced humor: “The old lady is such a nice person, and god is very discerning.He won’t take her away lightly.” Then he asked his wife to take a rest. The couple took it in turns tocare for the sick woman: Dong at night, and Tang during the day. Dong knew that the first night afterthe operation was crucial, and he couldn’t afford to be careless. For the whole night, he sat beside thehospital bed and, in the intervals between looking after her, he prayed for his mother-in-law. Finally,near daybreak, the old lady opened her eyes. Seeing her son-in-law, she was moved to tears.During Spring Festival, Dong and his brother-in-law stayed in the hospital to welcome in the new year.The course of treatment lasted for almost five years. The illness was already a huge blow to the family,and the heavy financial burden once again made the couple destitute. “It was in 2004. Although in totalwe spent 20,000 yuan on the treatment, but it was still a huge burden for us at that time with such modestsalaries.”Tang’s mother’s illness worsened. Hemodialysis was increased from once a week to three times afortnight. With it came yet more expense.Though she had become used to a life of compromise, Tang still had hopes that she would one day livein a new apartment that her and Dong owned. But their financial situation of the family made itimpossible: “When new residential houses were being built in Yingxiu, we saw many people registering,but we didn’t even ask. We still lived in my parents’ apartment. They didn’t say a word, but we feltembarrassed. As young people, how could we rely on parents like this?”And then, things started to get better. Tang’s mother’s condition stabilized, Dong’s parents remained ingood health, the couple’s salaries increased and their son was also growing into a healthy boy. Dongand Tang could finally relax, just a little.Having experienced all this, Dong had a deeper understanding of what xingfu was—Waking up in the morning to find his wife preparing breakfast for the family. Pushing open the windowand greeting the sun and sky with his son. This is xingfu in the morning.Entering the classroom and beings surrounded by his student. Singing, dancing, reading, studying and Page | 36

playing with them, and watching them grow with the care of a teacher, like budding flowers caressedby sunshine and raindrops. This is the xingfu in growing up!In the evening, taking a walk in the moonlight, hand-in-hand with his wife and son. Or, browsing theInternet with his wife quietly knitting beside him. This is the xingfu of being carefree and feeling athome.Watching a falling leaf with his parents made him feel like watching the dance of butterflies. In thewinter, xingfu was to clear a path out of the snow and see people passing by with a smile on their facein the sunlit street.FatherhoodThe year Dong was promoted to Yingxiu Primary School, Tang was also reappointed, to ZhangjiapingPrimary School in Yingxiu. Their son, Dong Xuhao, came into their small family that very same year.Everyone knows that the birth of a child is a heroic and glorious moment for the mother. But is it notthe same for the father? It is through the experience of becoming a father that a man enters an entirelynew and different phase of life.Thinking back, everything happened in the simplest and most ordinary way, but it was no lessmemorable because of that. That morning, Tang told her husband, nervously, that she had pains in herabdomen. Dong realized he was about to become a father very soon!Father, what an invigorating title! In the months before, the couple had watched the little one growingbigger and bigger inside their mother’s belly: is it a boy or a girl? Big or small? They felt the movementsof the baby with their hands and imagined the child being naughty.Hearing the first cry of the baby, Dong’s mind went blank. He gingerly took this little human beingfrom the nurse’s arms. Wow. So, this is how it feels to be a father! A father is supposed to give warmthand protection to the child in his arms and be a steadfast support for his child, like a mountain. Fromthat moment, Dong was not only a son and a husband but, most importantly, he was a father. He had achild, a child that was inextricably linked to him and would change the course of his life forever. It wasthe simple, and wonderful, multiplication of life, generations after generations.The couple was overjoyed at the baby’s arrival. Although days became busier and full of domesticaffairs, Dong was elated and ever more expectant for the future. In August, when Xuhao was fivemonths old, the summer vacation ended and the new semester began. Tang was still on maternity leavebut was already restless.She consulted her husband: “How about sending our son to your parents’ and letting them help withthe childcare?”Dong was hesitant. Xuhao was too young and still breastfeeding. But he could also see things from hiswife’s perspective—all teachers miss their students after a long absence. Page | 37

The little baby was then weaned by his decisive mother, ready to be left in the care of his grandparents.He would receive equally abundant love—which although different to the love of his own parents—was yet incomprehensible to this tiny person. He still cried for his mother when hungry; but once well-fed with baby formula, he would smile again or fall into sleep in the arms of his grandparents.Every weekend, the couple would linger on in their parents’ house until they had to leave. They wantedto hold that growing little person for a bit longer, and longer still. Look, his baby teeth were growing,he was starting to stand, to walk, to run, to talk…What the little boy had brought to the couple went far beyond the surprise and amazement surroundinghis arrival; it was now warmth and concern. But they harbored this concern in the depth of their hearts,for they had a more important cause to devote themselves to. Their call to work was not mundanemoney-making, but a realization and expression of self-value in the growth and improvement of a groupof children, unseen by outsiders.At five years’ old, the little boy began to ask more questions.“Grandma, why can’t I live with my mom and dad?”“Grandpa, what was my dad like when he was little? Was he naughty?”“Dad, I want to have a time travel machine. I just push the button and here comes Sunday, then I cansee mom and dad.”“Mom, can I sing you a song? ‘My dear mother, she came home from a day’s work. How hard sheworked! Mother, mother, please sit down for a cup of tea. Let me give you a kiss, my dearest mother’.”In 2002 and after many attempts Tang was finally reappointed to Yingxiu Primary School and becameDong’s colleague. At last, the couple could live with their son, Xuhao. And this time, it was the child’sgrandparents who found it hard to say goodbye. Xuhao too was tearful each time he said goodbye tothe old couple. This moved Dong in an ineffable way, for all the ties of kinship and tokens of affection.Their son had won the hearts of all their relatives with his brightness and sensibility. And he was likedby his teachers and classmates too. Talking about his son, Dong couldn’t be prouder—“My son really liked painting. When he was very little, he usually drew pictures on the balcony with achalk. In primary school, he was awarded the first prize in the art competition of Children’s Day forfour years consecutively.”All of little Xuhao’s paintings were lost in the earthquake. The only surviving one, saved on Dong’scomputer, was drawn by Xuhao at three years old. Those childish strokes brought tears to Dong’s eyesevery time he saw them.Xuhao had always been a smart child. He was once a competitor representing Yingxiu Primary Schoolin the Patriotic Speech Contest of Wenchuan County and came in third place. This speech contest wascounty-wide, with all levels of participants including primary school pupils, middle school students,and teachers. Through recommendation and selection on the class and school levels, Xuhao finally won Page | 38

the chance to be a representative of Yingxiu Primary School in this contest.“My son was really outstanding!” Even after so many years, Dong is full of pride.When Xuhao reached the fourth grade, Dong became his classroom teacher. With it came a battle ofwits and guts between teacher-father and student-son.After dinner, Xuhao was busy with homework in his room, and Dong was chatting with his wife.“Tomorrow I’m going to check on the students’ recitation. The lesson we just finished covered somevery beautiful sentences. Lately I’ve been a bit lax on them and haven’t shown them my stern face forsome time. An unexpected check would leave a lasting impression.”“I see no reason why not.”Early next morning, Dong heard his son begin to reciting texts on the balcony. During Chinese class,Dong randomly picked on a few students to recite. It turned out that all of the students were surprisinglyfamiliar with the text, including Xuhao. Dong pretended not to see the knowing looks being exchangedbetween his son and the other students.Every time Dong told his wife—“I’m going to have a dictation on the new characters and words from this unit.”“I’m going to have a check of the students’ notebooks.”“I’m going to see how the students are doing in previewing the lessons.”—Xuhao would tell his classmates the information that he ‘accidentally’ overheard. Being a ‘teacher’sson’ and a messenger had made him feel superior. Still, he wasn’t conceited or freewheeling: to thecontrary, he worked even harder and strove for the best in everything he did. What he did actuallymotivated the whole class to study actively. In effect, he contributed to the steady improvement of thewhole class’s academic performance.Take, for example, the 2007 county-wide general exam results. Class one, grade four of Yingxiu PrimarySchool easily came first in the whole county, averaging more than 90 points in Chinese, a dozen pointshigher than the county average, 20 clear of the class in second place for math.The class also won first prize in the Red Songfest organized by Yingxiu Primary School in May 2008,with Dong in charge of poem recital and the math teacher, Li Mao, in charge of the choir. After theearthquake, another parent found the award certificate in the debris and gave it to Dong.“I still keep the certificate even now. It is not only an embodiment and witness of my emotionalinvestment in this class, it also reminds me of the things and children that I should remember for myentire life!”The intertwining identities of father and teacher had given Dong, who had by then been teaching for 15years, a different feeling. It also allowed him to finally stop being intimidating to his students. True, in Page | 39

general, Dong seldom smiled. But when he did, he was like spring itself. People at the school, however,did not see this often and he earned a reputation as the ‘strict teacher’.“Mr. Dong is very tough and harsh… unbelievably harsh!” said children around the campus. WhenXuhao’s classmates heard that his father was going to take over their class, the naughtiest childrenbecame fearful and asked Xuhao: “Is your father really that strict? Does he beat you at home? …”But, to their surprise, Mr. Dong, who was both their classroom teacher and Chinese teacher, was not asterrible as they had imagined. Occasionally, he would put on a stern face and tell them off. But as longas they tried hard, had the right attitude or made progress, Mr. Dong was never stingy with words ofpraise.Mr. Dong also had a very fascinating lecturing style. His face was richly expressive, he used a varietyof teaching aids, told a lot of curious and funny stories, gave the students ample space for thinking andstudying, and helped the students develop a strong interest in Chinese… More importantly, Mr. Dongseldom assigned homework.“Mr. Dong, what homework do we have for Chinese today?”“Nothing. But today you have learned some new words, and tomorrow I’m going to have a dictation onthem.”“Mr. Dong, should I hand in every day the notebook you gave us?”“This notebook is for you to collect good words and sentences. You don’t need to hand it in, but I maycheck it from time to time.”“Mr. Dong, I copied a very beautiful sentence in the notebook. Can I just write one sentence explainingwhy I like it?”“One or ten is fine. No matter how much you write, you need to clearly tell me the reason why you likeit.”“Mr. Dong, after we finish this lesson, should I use a section of the notebook to present the content wehave covered?”“You can also try to decorate the content you want to present, for example with illustrations or fancyborders. A week later we’re going to have a little competition and see whose is the best.”Mr. Dong told the students that, everywhere in life, there was language. Even TV news presented alearning opportunity. He said: “If you’re simply learning from the book and my lecture, do you thinkthat you can learn the language well? You can’t. You need to pay attention to the use of language inyour daily life.”He asked the students to watch TV news at home and report what they had watched to the whole classthe next day. So as not worry the students, he never asked the whole class to stay in front of TV everyevening; each day, a different group of students got this task. Page | 40

Some students said: “Mr. Dong, I don’t have a TV in my dorm.”Dong answered: “That’s OK. You can also tell us what happened around you.”Dong didn’t care about the content, as long as the students opened their mouths to speak. All of themhad to stand on the rostrum and speak to the whole class like a little teacher.Dong also experimented with having the students deliver one-minute readings before class. He broughtin many works of classic literature and put them in the reading corner of the classroom, and the studentswould bring their own books too. Such exchange and sharing sparked the students’ interest, widenedtheir knowledge, and improved their verbal communication.There were many more approaches like this. And although he never really assigned homework in thetraditional sense, all those fascinating little learning rules enabled the students to learn Chinese well,while having a lot of fun.For those students who did well in regular tests or competitions, Dong would reward them—one yuanor so from the class fund, although not much, was able to buy something that children liked or whatwas in fashion. Each child would feel proud but strive to do well again next time. In this way, Dongdiscovered and ignited a sense of honor and consciousness, as well as creativity, of course.Each student’s notebook was a wonder, full of all kinds of interesting content—new characters andwords, sentences, pictures, and learning reflections.One day, Tang asked Dong: “Why isn’t our son complaining any more when he comes back every day?Why does it seem that he seldom slacks now and actually loves to do homework?”Dong smiled without answering. He wanted to keep his secret for now. He wanted to maintain his senseof superiority, mystery and competitive edge just a little longer, before his approach was known all overthe school, because everyone could see the students’ progress and excellent academic performance.Anyway, Dong thought, he really didn’t spend that much effort in bringing out such good results; thefragrance of good wine would be smelled easily no matter how deep it was hidden. Dong wasn’t a bitconcerned about competition, because he always had his unique core competitiveness.This way of teaching had benefited his son Xuhao the most.When Dong first took over his son’s class, his wife was concerned: “Mr. Dong, please don’t treat yourson differently in class, neither too strict nor too indulgent.”“Ms. Tang, what kind of person do you think I am? Don’t worry, I will treat everyone equally,” Dongpatted his wife’s shoulder reassuringly.The son popped his head in and asked with the same degree of concern: “Dad, do I call you ‘dad’ or‘sir’ in class?”“What do you think?” Dong didn’t give a clear answer, for he wanted his son to make the right decisionhimself. Afterwards, each time Xuhao had a question in class, he would call Dong “sir” loudly. Only Page | 41

“sir”, never “Mr. Dong” though. After he came home, he would immediately switch to calling Dong“dad”.One evening, a year later, Xuhao hugged Dong’s neck affectionately and said: “Dad, I really thinkyou’re a fantastic teacher, and I’m so proud of you. I want to always stay close to you, close as friends.”Father and the son were close as friends, and they would have fun together whenever they got chance.Sometimes Dong would lose face when he was beaten in games by his son. For example, he taught hisson how to play Gobang, but soon Xuhao was better than he. The smart boy would carefully study thegame techniques, while his father, thinking that he knew it all, did nothing to hone his skills. Anotherexample was when Dong taught his son to surf the Internet, decorate his homepage, or paint online.Before long, he was ridiculed by Xuhao because his homepage decorations were outdated. As soon asXuhao gave it a little adjustment, the page immediately looked brand new, vivid and rich. Dong alsotook his son to play basketball and jogging in the morning. Being with the students, Dong felt like anolder boy. But with his son, he felt like both a teacher and a friend, and this made him feel very ‘cool’.Of course, Dong could be exacting from time to time. When Xuhao made a mistake, Dong insisted heapologize and receive his punishment. But he would not put the child under unnecessary pressure; itwas more important that Xuhao understood that actions have consequences. When his son corrected hismistakes by himself, Dong would encourage and praise him: “Son, what a great child you are to havecorrected your mistake!”Trust from his father as well as the experience of growing up together with his father had given Xuhaoa more confident mindset than other children. Dong was clear that the level of the father determined thefuture prospect of his child. The best parenting is a lifestyle. Only in an environment full of intimacy,understanding, freedom, equality, and mutual respect can a child grow up healthily.Xuhao was happy and proud: he had an outstanding father, and a teacher. From his father’s care, Xuhaoabsorbed all the richness that would help him grow into a good and valuable person. But fate onlyallowed Xuhao to live for 11 years. Page | 42

Chapter 2. The sweet spring of happiness – the story of Liu ZhongnengA father’s love is a mountainFrom Wenchuan County town we travel south alongside loaded trucks on the 213 National Highway,along the Minjiang River and mountain ranges. After 44 kilometers, we arrive in Maoxian County.Maoxian County is in the southeast of Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, lying between the Tibetanplateau and the west plain of Sichuan. According to the Old Book of Tang Dynasty and Records ofMaozhou, Maozhou was named after the Maoshi Mountain in Tang dynasty (618–907 BC) and thisname was kept until the early republican period of China. In 1958, the Maowen Autonomous Countyof Qiang Ethnicity was set up, with ‘mao’ taken from ‘Maoxian’ and ‘wen’ from ‘Wenchuan’, becausea large portion of Maoxian is in the Wenshan Mountain area. Later, Aba Prefecture changed its name toMaoxian County.The population of Maoxian County is around 110,000, and 90% are of Qiang ethnicity, which comprise30.5% of the total Qiang population in China. Qiang people are said to be the descendants of YanEmperor in Chinese mythology, and they have a long-standing, well-established ethnic culture. Relicsunearthed in Maoxian County provide evidence that the Qiang people had lived on this land from asearly as the Qin (221–206 BC) and Han dynasties (206 BC–220 AD) and had transitioned from anomadic lifestyle to a settled one. The Shalang dance, the Red Qiang ribbon, Zajiu wine, the priests andthe Qiang flute: from architecture to clothing, from religion to songs and dances, everything in theQiang people’s homeland conveys passionate vitality and primeval custom.Erchahe Village of Wadixiang Town is a typical Qiang village. The village is located on a low land,surrounded by mountains on three sides. It has a scenic view and simple way of life. The village is 45kilometers from Maoxian County Town.On 4 December 1976 in Erchahe Village, a baby boy was born into the Liu family. The family hung abasket on the left side of the door and put a knife in it, according to the Qiang custom, and served theirguests with savory home-cooked dishes and barley wine. The new-born baby was named LiuZhongneng. He had brought new life and joy to this Qiang mountain village.Liu Zhongneng was the third of five children, and one of three boys. Before the Wenchuan earthquakestruck in 2008, all his brothers were married and had children, and his parents, after a life of hard work,were finally enjoying a happy family life surrounded by children and grandchildren.The Liu family was well-respected in the village; all but one of the siblings—who worked at the localhydropower plant—had earned themselves a place outside Erchahe through their own efforts in school.Before the earthquake, Liu’s oldest brother was teaching in Miansi Town, his youngest brother inShuimo Town and Liu himself in Yingxiu Town. Their sister, the youngest of the five, was also doingwell as a nurse in Chengdu City. Four intellectuals from the same poor family—this was praiseworthynot only in the village but in the whole Wadixiang Town, and even Maoxian County.“Back then life was difficult for the family. It was very hard for an ordinary family to afford four Page | 43

children to attend school. Without my father’s painstaking efforts to support us…” Thinking of pastdifficulties and his father’s perseverance, tears come to Liu’s eyes.Liu’s father was like all men who ran their house in the village: serious, hardworking, conscientiousand practical. But what impressed Liu most was his father’s unswerving support for the children to goto school. “He could economize on everything else, but he would make sure he could send us to school.”In those years, the pressure of supporting four school children was considerable and the income fromfarming was far from enough. Village farmers in those years hardly had any income. And so Liu’s fatherbegan to think of other ways to make money.When the household responsibility system was newly established, Liu’s father began to plant economictrees, grow peppers and apples, and opened up wasteland for farming. At that time, very few people inthe village could think of doing this. They didn’t even realize that these things could earn them money.When the farming season was over for the year, Liu’s father would become restless and go to otherplaces to do odd jobs. In doing so he quickly discovered the lucrative business of coaling logs. Fewpeople wanted to take up such an exhausting job and when the demand for coal far exceeded its supply,it could sell for a pretty good price.During these months, Liu’s father would go into the mountains before daybreak, walk two miles ofalong the mountain paths to the valley, and then climb to the mountain top to look for a kind of treecalled oriental white oak. This tree was rare and only grew on mountain tops, but it was the perfectmaterial for making coal. Having cut down enough trees, he would carefully slide the logs down to thevalley where there was a stream. He would put the logs in the kiln he had carved out near the water.After a week’s baking, the logs turned into a kiln of coal. A kiln of coal weighed about 500 kilograms.Every coaling season, Liu’s father would stay in the mountain for more than two months and make atotal of 5,000 kilograms of coal.The children always came to help in their spare time. Their father did not talk much but when he openedhis eyes from time to time as he napped on a big stone and saw the children playing around or eatingcorn bread, a satisfied look would come upon his face.Liu’s father did not eat much either: he would have a big breakfast and eat hardly anything for lunch.He saved his food for the children. But as well as reducing expenditure, he also knew how to find othersources of income. Even when he was over 60 years old, he still went to the county town often, lookingfor something to do.The process of making the coal was much easier than transporting it. Liu’s father had to carry those5,000 kilos of charcoal on his shoulders to the village gate, little by little and step by step. Each trip wasabout 12 kilometers, 10 kilometers of which was all precipitous mountain path. The coal would sell for6 or 7 cents per half kilo, so 5,000 kilos of charcoal Lui’s father would earn just 600–700 yuan. Still,this was a considerable relief in terms of the children’s tuition.Full of money-making ideas, Liu’s father then began hunting for herbs in the mountains. MaoxianCounty itself is more than 3,000 meters above sea level, the mountains within its region even higher. Page | 44

On the high cliffs grow the most precious and rare herbs, which fetch a good price. With a plastic basket,a bamboo stick, a hacking knife, a straw hat, a bag of food and a jar of water, Liu’s father could stay inthe mountains for days.Little Liu could hardly imagine the loneliness, fear and cold his father must have felt in the mountains,but he always remembered his the look on his face when he came home with a basket full of herbs. Injust a few days, he was emaciated and darkened. His face was murky, his hair a mess, and countlessscratches dotted his hands and body. But his eyes were bright. He put his basket on the floor, threwhimself into bed and fell asleep even before Liu’s mother could serve him porridge. After a sound sleep,Liu’s father was energetic and agile again, and this shrewd man soon found an even better livelihood.In 1988, a road was built from the town to the village. Liu’s father borrowed money and opened up aconvenience store beside the road. In total, he borrowed 700 yuan, with which he built the shop andstocked the shelves.700 yuan! A trustworthy man, people were willing to lend him money, but with debts to pay, Liu’s fatherwas anxious and resolute. He was thinking long-term; just as he strongly believed in giving the childrena good education, he believed that the convenience store would be a good business opportunity andchange the financial status of the whole family. And he was right: in 2008 the convenience store wasstill doing good business as it had been for the last two decades.After the Spring Festival in 2008, the children—who had now established their own lives—wereconcerned about their father working too hard, so they made the decision to sell the shop. When theysettled their father in Maoxian County Town, their father’s business came to a happy end.The earnings from the sale of the store were mostly used to pay the children’s tuition. Now the childrenall had their own families. Whenever anyone had difficulty in the family and needed money, Liu’s fatherwould offer unconditional support.Without their father’s careful guidance and management of the family’s finances, the children’ s futurewould never have been so good. But in their father’s mind, providing the children with a good educationwas not to make them someone prominent or important in the world; he simply believed, instinctively,that with an educated and cultured mind, they could live a different life. For this belief, he gaveeverything.Living up to their father’s hopes, the children all studied hard at school and eventually left the mountainsthanks to their own efforts.Education changes destinyThe Liu children who had left the mountains continued the tradition of ‘pass-help-lead’, wherein oncea family member had gained an education and found a good job, they paid for another Liu child to goto leave the mountains and attend school in Maoxian County Town. The tradition had begun with Liu’syoungest uncle.Despite being an excellent student, the uncle had to drop out of high school when his own father died; Page | 45

the family was penniless at that time and had nothing to support the children’s education. But he didn’tgive up his dream of receiving an education and become an intellectual; back in the village, he becamea substitute teacher in the primary school. The monthly salary was only a few yuan, but he persevered.It was in teaching that the uncle found his sense of self-worth. Because of his outstanding performance,he was transferred temporarily to Wadixiang Central Primary School. Still a substitute teacher, and stillearning a few yuan per month, he was full of joy. Not only could he continue his own education, but hecould also give many aspiring children an education, and a good one at that.Though Liu’s father did not understand the old Chinese saying that ‘To be a scholar is to be at the topof society’ his instinct told him that getting an education would allow the children to develop their ownabilities and live independently. Not only that, being educated could also spare one of a lifetime offarming. What kind of father wouldn’t want the best for his children?And so Liu’s father started to financially support his wife’s youngest brother, who was by then alreadyteaching. Without money worries, the uncle could focus on study and was successfully admitted toWenchuan Normal School. After graduation from the technical secondary school, he was employed bySports Bureau of Wenchuan because he was tall and a good basketball player. In this way, the unclebecame the first ‘scholar’ that Liu had ever known.Having such a role model, the children worked even harder in school. Soon, Liu’s eldest brother wasadmitted by a normal school, and his uncle paid the tuition.When Liu’s eldest brother graduated and had a stable job, he also brought Liu and his fourth brother toMaoxian County Town to attend school.After Liu started to work, he in turn brought the son of his aunt and the eldest daughter of his secondbrother Maoxian. Almost all the children who were brought out of the mountains to receive an educationpicked a teaching-related career.“Because all we knew then was just to study, take exams, and go home, we understood very little aboutchoosing a career. All the decisions were made by my uncle and my eldest brother, including major andschool selection.” Liu speaks plainly, but with a sense of willing acceptance.At that time, it was much harder to get into a technical secondary school than to go to college. The beststudents at school would consider technical secondary school as their first choice. Why? Because therewere very few colleges then and only a few students could be admitted. The proportion of high schoolgraduates who could go to college for further education was extremely small. In this situation, beingadmitted into an ideal technical secondary school after graduation from secondary school was equal tohaving job security.Mostly paid for by the government, the cost to families for sending a child to technical school wasnegligible. The graduates would all be assigned jobs by the state, mostly in established state-ownedenterprises or state-run institutions as technicians or administrative officials. Most of the normal schoolgraduates would become teachers.For poorer families, a free education and earlier entrance into the workforce was very attractive. And Page | 46

technical school students were also able to change their household registration status from ‘agricultural’to ‘non-agricultural’.The year that Liu was admitted into technical school, Yingxiu Secondary School had only two classes,into which, based on outstanding academic performance, fewer than 100 students could continue. Itseemed that, in the whole Wadixiang Town, with each other’s support, only Liu’s family were able toleave the mountains, shake off their farmer identity and find their own paths.The Liu family became the object of admiration for all the people in the village.Liu still remembers how he rushed back home from school in ecstasy after receiving his admissionletter; how his father carefully washed his hands before touching the letter; how his younger brothersand sisters surrounded him with admiration, asking questions excitedly; and how, of course, the villageparty secretary broadcast the good news and the villagers came to congratulate them with eggs,preserved pork, fresh vegetables and homemade rice wine…From the door of his home in Erchahe Village, Liu could see the majestic mountains and turbulent river.But, inspired by his uncle and brothers, Liu wanted to be part of the world on the other side of themountain.‘If the mountain does not come to me, I walk to it,’ a Zen master once said. And though young Liucould not yet attain such enlightenment, he did know that he could not change his beginnings and sothe only way for him to live a different life was to get an education.Gorky once wrote: ‘Books inspire my soul and help me rise above the mire. If not for them, I would besucked into this mire and suffocated by stupidity and indecency.”’Lui did get and education, and walked out of the mountains into the wider world just, like his uncle andbrothers did before him. A brand new future awaited.Dream and loveWhen he was a teenager, Liu once wrote a composition entitled ‘My Dream’: ‘When I was very little, my uncle told me: ‘Being a teacher is a noble cause.’ Since then, a little seed was sown in my heart: if I were a teacher, how great would it be! The gray hair on the teacher’s head looks most beautiful; the way they grade the homework with a pen in hand looks most beautiful; the scene of them lecturing with enjoyment in the classroom looks most beautiful…Teachers have neither complaints nor big words, and the chalks are their life company. They teach by example, showing us what good behaviors and morality are… My dream is not only to be a teacher, but to become an excellent and respected primary school teacher. The importance of primary school teachers is not in teaching profound theories, but in leaving indelible traces on the children’s mind, which often influence them for a lifetime. I want to hold the teacher’s pointer and show the children a different future… Page | 47

If my dream came true, I would put all the words above into action. I would tame those naughty ones with my caring heart and make them understand that they are loved by their teacher. Of course, I would also give them little punishment when necessary to help them correct their mistakes. Most importantly, I would make the children love study and work hard by ways that interest them…;Liu’s dream shone attractive like a lighthouse in the dark, guiding his passionate and positive attitudetowards learning. A life full of determination and ambition was a bright and hopeful one.After graduating from Ma’erkang Normal School in 1997, 21-year-old Liu began his teaching career inBaiyan Primary School.Baiyan Primary School was a ‘base-point’ primary school, meaning that it only offered basic education.Different from a regular primary school, it didn’t have all the grades. Fresh out of school, Liu devotedhimself to his new life and new job with the characteristic energy of a 20-something.The school was small but lovely. In the morning, the sun lit up the campus that was Liu’s world. Thesound of children reciting texts, and the singing of birds, was the most melodic music to Liu.Before classes began, Liu would chat with his colleagues. These young teachers lived the same way,with the same pursuit and held the same dream dear, with the same passion. They talked about endlessdifferent things—fashion, future and, of course, love.In their spare time, they would ride motorcycles to the nearby gully to bathe or to Huangjiacun PrimarySchool to spend time with other friends. The slow pace of life and scenic surroundings gave Liu manysimple and happy memories.According to Chinese legend, there was, in Emperor Yao’s time, a well-fed old man who beat a rhythmon the ground, and sang: ‘I work when the sun is up, and rest when the sun goes down. I dig a well todrink, and grow crops to eat. What’s the use of an emperor to me?’ This was the life in primeval times:simple and unrestrained. The last sentence in particular describes an enviable way of life, free from thechains of social conventions, and one day Liu realized that his life as a new teacher was exactly likethis.To Liu, life was beautiful. And it was made even more so when a female teacher named Kong Li cameinto his life.It was 1999. The day that Kong came to the school, Liu was amazed: she arrived with two cars and abig group of friends and relatives. Her parents even stayed with her in Baiyan Primary School for morethan a month, in case their dear daughter experienced any inconvenience or discomfort.The seemingly indulged young woman ignited Liu’s curiosity. Liu kept wondering about her familybackground. But Kong was not really a spoiled child at all; she had a wealthier family and goodupbringing. And, just like Liu, she passionately wanted to spread her love to more children.The two developed an affinity on the first day they met, when they discovered they were alumni.As they got to know each other better, Liu saw that Kong was adored by her father. As his precious little Page | 48

princess, Kong could easily have anything, within reason, that she wanted. But when her older brotherasked for the same treatment, his father would frown. This was not entirely because of the adage that‘girls should be brought up in abundance and boys in scarcity’, but because Kong had been good childsince she was little. She was self-sacrificing and generous to her parents and family; she was outgoingand joyful, while her older brother was much better at being a nuisance.Kong had won Liu’s heart. He liked her from the moment he saw her, drawn to the peace and calm inher eyes. He said to himself: it must be her! She must be the one for me!Kong also felt something for Liu. She knew that he was far from home all on his own, and that he wentto the same school as hers, with the same dream of being a teacher. More importantly, he came from arural family, which made him down-to-earth and grateful. Her father would surely like such a youngman to be his daughter’s husband.When, at once, they both revealed their feelings for each other, everything was illuminated.The first time they held each other’s hand… the first time they embraced each other gently… the firsttime they kissed… the first time they ate porridge from the same bowl… the first time they stoodtogether to receive the blessing from colleagues… the first time they went home together to see theirparents… The many precious ‘firsts’ made imprints in Liu’s heart, and brought feelings of peace andcalm whenever he recalled them.After three years together, they could wait no longer to build their own family, have their own spaceand stay by each other’s side for life. They married in early 2002 and, at the end of that same year, theirson, Liu Xusiyu, was born. Loved by the whole family, Liu’s son united them all. In the boy’s name,‘Xu’ means the morning sun rising in the east—a symbol of light, warmth, and strength—and ‘Siyu’,to always think of his family wherever he goes. These were Kong and Liu’s expectations for their child.Even many years later, Liu remembers the small details of these six years of family life. After theearthquake, every thought in Liu’s mind would ultimately lead to memories of his wife or son.2002 was an eventful year: as well as getting married and having a child, Liu was also promoted toYingxiu Primary School.Yingxiu was not far from Baiyan Primary School. But the distance kept Liu and Kong apart for severalhours a day. They went to work in the morning and rushed home when school was over, missing eachother already. Ten-month-old Xusiyu was taken to his maternal grandparents’ home, as they worriedabout their daughter working too hard.As an unusually romantic P.E. teacher, Liu translated his yearnings into poems. In one poem, he wrote:When you leave,I chase your tenderness in your receding figure,In my heart,Your smiles blossom beautifully and sweetly,Into a wistful spring.In the silent passage of time, Page | 49