May 12th
7.8R Earthquake at 14:28:04 PM in Sichuan Province. Shaking felt in Beijing area by 14:35 PM.
May 13th
Preliminary statistics came back: more than 12,000 people died in the earthquake, over 26,000 injured, at least 9,400 trapped & 7,800 missing. Two of the worst-hit areas, Wenchuan and Beichuan counties, had been experiencing more aftershocks, sixteen of which were above 5 on the Richter Scale.
May 17th
The 3rd heavy rain since the earthquake. Estimates of death toll had been rising & donations kept going. We stopped talking about who donated how much - numbness to money amount numbers. The blood bank had been full with such intakes.
Money, Food, Drinking Water, Blood & Warm... whatever it takes, Chinese affords it, even Lives.
Hollywood's most wild imagination in their single-hero movies shall be pale if comparing with what our soldiers could do.
As the earliest rescue mission with dispatch, the soldiers actually jumped from a height of 3-floor, knowing that they had no time to open the parachutes and little luck to expect the crash against water instead of rocks. Probably the public would never hear about the exact death toll of soldiers in carrying out such rescues. When death is duty, duty'll be done.
No fuss.
This is a Chinese edition of story, with Chinese heroes, die in Chinese way.
May 18th
According to the evening news report, death toll increases over 30,000.
The money donation domestically has reached RMB 6 billion.
May 19th
The Chinese National Flag and Regional Flags of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR raised at half mast.
A countrywide mourning at 14:28 PM.
2009年2月
写下前面这些文字的时候,心情复杂。暴雨给这座城市带来晦暗的天色、沉重的雨滴和冰冷的空气,为感慨者的心情绘声绘色。
那天这个城市通告:于当日某一时刻向灾区人民示哀。具体形式包括车船和工厂鸣笛,旗子降半,人随便——即在“哀”的主旋律之下可以各出新意、无所不示。
就象闻到气味可以提前处置剩饭剩菜,大概是基于类似的生活经验,在示哀当日用文字整理心情,收拾干净。
其后,四下里铺天盖地的馊饭味儿果然来临了。令人一想起自己也炒过这口儿就恶心。
但还是留着这篇日志,理由有二。
今偶遇老米,他的旧话里已经说到了这两个理由。补记,并引言于此:
Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass!
It is the second tear that makes kitsch Kitsch.
The brotherhood of man on earth will be possible only on a base of kitsch.

