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Tales from the quake: heroism, compassion

By Huang Zhiling and Wang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-02 07:49

CHENGDU -- Many people including foreign nationals who have visited Chengdu have heard the old tale about an airliner's final descent to its airport.

The joke says that passengers bound for the capital of Sichuan province can usually sleep throughout their flight, but are awakened by the sound of mahjong tiles clicking together just before landing.

Not exactly a knee-slapper, unless you are from Chengdu, perhaps. But the joke is memorable simply because it provides a glimpse into the local approach to life - visitors often comment on how relaxed Chengdu is for a city of more than 10 million.

Amid the skyline of today's Chengdu. [China Daily]

Leisurely strolls through Chengdu reveal locals playing mahjong in the streets, at outdoor teahouses and in parks. Visitors think that the city is probably home to more mahjong players than anywhere else in the country.

But the city is also impressive for its large number of teahouses, restaurants specializing in traditional Sichuan cuisine, hot pot joints and snack stalls.

"Chengdu's relaxed lifestyle is a key part of the local character," said He Huazhong, the city's publicity chief.

The city lies in a vast basin, the site of one of China's most important agricultural production areas. It has always been affluent and situated well away from chaotic wars waged by invading troops. This has shaped the city's easy, carefree lifestyle.

Modern life evolves with new fashions. [China Daily]

Although Chengdu's 10th Party Congress decided in August 2003 to promote the city as the country's most leisurely capital to attract more tourists, the city's mayor Ge Honglin had a second thought. "Chengdu people like playing very much," said Ge, a local of Shanghai.

In his interview with China Daily four days before the May 12 earthquake, Ge said people in a rising city like Chengdu should work harder. "It should be a paradise for the old and young but a battlefield for the middle-aged," he said.

Visitors to Chengdu are impressed with the myriad of pretty women on the streets, which justifies a popular saying: "Take three steps in Chengdu, and one will spot a Maggie Cheung (a beautiful Hong Kong film star). Take five steps and you will see a Lin Ching-hsia (a beautiful Taiwan film star)".

But they also say men from the city are not tall enough, speak too softly and do not look masculine enough.

Courage during quakes

Still, men and women in Chengdu have touched people from different parts of the country with their courage and uprightness, demonstrated when the devastating earthquake which killed nearly 70,000 people nationwide struck on May 12. Soon after the quake, many cabbies headed to the quake-battered city of Dujiangyan, some 50 km from Chengdu, to transport injured victims of their own accord and free of charge. As so many taxis went to Dujiangyan, it was difficult to get one in Chengdu.

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