Among casualties rising into the tens of thousands, hundreds of children lie dead in the rubble of what was once their schools as China endured a massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake on Monday. Cutting off roads and collapsing buildings in the southwestern Sichuan province, the worst earthquake in three decades was the latest calamity to accompany the increasingly tumultuous astrological Year of the Rat. With estimates of 80 percent of all buildings having collapsed in one of the province’s counties, casualties and injuries are sure to climb as recovery efforts continue apace over the coming days.
With parents keeping vigil as rescue missions mournfully gave way to recovery efforts, Chinese national psyche reeled under the Rat’s latest assault. In addition to the May 12th earthquake, the pestilence following in the Rat’s wake includes:
- A crippling blizzard that accompanied the Chinese New Year in February, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded in railway stations and millions without power;
- Weeklong demonstrations and violence in Tibet on the 49th anniversary of the March 10, 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, the subsequent security crackdown and the resulting international condemnation;
- The chaotic and demonstration-accompanied world tour of the Olympic Torch as it wound its way past competing throngs of Chinese expatriates brimming with pride and antagonistic pro-Tibetan protestors that diverted the Torch’s route in several cities in April;
- A virtual cyber war in the blogosphere and Internet chat rooms as virulent nationalism inspired Chinese globally to rise in defense of their beleaguered homeland in the face of what was perceived as patently anti-Sino media coverage of the crisis in Tibet and the ongoing controversy accompanying the Olympic Torch relay.
Dispatching the People’s Liberation Army to assist with earthquake rescue and recovery efforts, the government in Beijing moved quickly to respond to the devastation in the heart of the region that is home to the national symbol of China; the giant panda. With tens of thousands dead and injured and potentially hundreds of thousands now homeless, pressure is on the Communist Party to reassure the Chinese populace it is able to protect them in times of crisis as well as tranquility.
The symbolic significance of the location added to what is increasingly being seen as signs that the government may have lost what is referred to by the Chinese as “the mandate of Heaven.” A similar series of events in 1976 that included the deaths of revered Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai, the iconic father of the Chinese Communist state, Mao Zedong and 225,000 to 250,000 in the Tangshan earthquake of July, is commonly referred to as the “Curse of 1976”.
Subsequent political unrest and divisions within the Communist Party led to a virtual coup as one faction overthrew the infamous “Gang of Four” that had ruled China for years and ushered it through the tumultuous Cultural Revolution. Seeking to avoid a repeat of that fateful period, Communist Party leaders have presented a unified front in responding to the series of calamities that have plagued China as it prepares for its global coming out party at this summer’s Beijing Olympic Games. Only time will tell if this is the final obstacle it must confront or just another milestone of misery on the rocky and hazardous road to the Games.
Pray for the injured, homeless and bereaved, faithful readers and dear friends. Sorrow recognizes no political affiliation. Remember, while Death comes for us all, no parent should ever have to endure the agony of burying their child. Stay tuned for updates as events demand.
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