Wenchuan and Her Children

In the summer of 2007, on my way to Jiuzhaigou Valley, I stopped by Wenchuan, a region whose population consisted mostly of Qiang ethnic people.

At that time, because it sat on the main route from Chendu to Jiuzhaigou National park, Wenchuan was then a flourishing town inside the big Minshan mountain range. It was called "The First Qiang Village of China." For thousands of years, this old town had been watching the continuous Min River passing by her feet. And the scenes of mysteriously colored houses along the road sides, together with pedestrians in their ethnic clothing are all inviting tourists to feel the charm of this beautiful ethnic town.

What always stays in my heart, however, were those young, innocent, curious, and grateful eyes of Wenchuan children. Thanks to China's Hope Project, whose mission is to help children from low income families to receive education, many Hope Schools had been built in Wenchuan. As a result, many children from remote mountain region had the opportunity to go to school. To show appreciation to the prosperity brought by tourism as well as the hope by The Hope Project, children in Wenchuan walking alone or in a group always stopped to give their young-pioneer salutes to tourist bus when they saw one.

From the moment I heard about the devastated earthquake in Wenchuan on May 12, 2008, the scene of the saluting children comes back to me again and again. Where is that beautiful old town now? Where are those innocent smiling faces by the road sides? How are those children’s fates? ……

The Min River is crying; the Ba Mountain is mourning; and the whole world is asking: how many young lives were taken by the collapsed school buildings? How many families have had sleepless nights, crying out the names of their lost sons and daughters? How many sons and daughters have become orphans after coming out from the debris?

Brothers and sisters, the broken families need you! The smiling faces inside that big mountain need you! The will-be-reestablished Hope Schools need you! Your money for tonight's eat-out or even for tonight's movie will mean so much for those who are now suffering in Wenchuan. For them, this money can bring hope back into the big mountain again.

Brothers and sisters, they need us! Now!




May 20, 2008