By Xiao Zhong; her daughter is doing rescue work in quake-hit areas in Sichuan (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_493e7e9c01009h3k.html, at 01:27:47, May 13, 2008)
A beautiful terrace in Qingshen County before the earthquake, photo taken by my daughter.
When the earthquake hit at around 3 PM on May 12, 2008, my colleagues and I felt strong shocks in the office. We simultaneously shouted: "Earthquake!" One of my colleagues searched for news on the Internet and told me the earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale with the epicenter in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province. On hearing this, my mind went blank and I almost fainted because my daughter is working in Sichuan as a volunteer to support the development of the border areas.
My first response was to give her a call but neither the mobile phone nor the landline went through. I tried every means to contact her but all was in vain. My colleague suggested that I send a text message; I desperately did this, hoping that she would receive it.
It was as if time had completely stopped as I waited for her reply. Qingshen County where my daughter works is more than 200 kilometers away from Wenchuan, the earthquake epicenter. I waited in despair, remembering how my daughter had informed me a year ago of her decision to work there. She spent two nights writing a long letter to me, telling me that she would go to the Sichuan countryside to work as a volunteer. When I read that letter, I couldn't help crying. Although I knew it was a courageous and correct decision for a college student about to graduate, I was still reluctant to let her leave home. Sichuan is so far away and countryside life is so hard. Could she adapt herself to the new life? But since she had made up her mind, all I could do was to wish her bon voyage as my eyes filled with tears.