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From lawyer to volunteer for life

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-12 10:13

Soothing away the wounds

Wang Xiaochun, 60, Yingxiu Primary School, Wenchuan county, Sichuan province

I have been traveling to most of the major quake zones from my hometown of Dalian, Liaoning province, where I spent three years teaching primary school pupils how to blow the calabash pipe, since last October.

Beichuan, Mianzhu, Shifang and Wenchuan ... I bring the music and joy of my calabash pipe to as many young quake victims as I can.

I teach students hurt in the quake how to play the pipe. It is not difficult because they are always curious, especially the little ones, whenever I start blowing it.

I always begin with the 'Happy Birthday' tune and the children crowd around me, eyes wide in wonder and giggling uncontrollably ... it works every time.

When the young quake victims begin blowing their first few tunes, soft, light and initially unsure, the delight shows on their faces ... and I can see the wounds they suffer from the quake beginning to heal.

I teach the children to stand up to their suffering. Music really is the best form of treatment.

I was here in Yingxiu during Spring Festival this year.

Special coverage:  Sichuan, One Year On... Related readings:  Sichuan on firmer ground than a year ago  Sichuan is a good place to visit!  China gets 76b yuan in donations for Sichuan quake  New schools in quake zone of Sichuan to be quake-proof Sichuan receives 15.75b yuan in quake donation

I teach quake victims, injured and in wheelchairs. I buy the instruments for those who cannot afford it. I have already given out 50 calabash pipes in my travels and have 46 students in Yingxiu alone.

I spend more than 10 hours a week with the children, mostly on Saturday and Sunday.

After I left the army, an artillery unit, in the early 1970s, I worked at the local culture department in Jilin province. I've been to Jilin, Liaoning, Sichuan, Yunnan, many other regions, teaching people how to play the calabash. I've taught 7,000 to 8,000 youngsters nationwide how to play it.

I've spent about 50,000 yuan helping victims of the quake since May 12 last year. My family, my spouse, they are very supportive of what I am doing.

I continue to stay in the makeshift houses, the same kind used by Yingxiu residents. I'll probably stay here till June. I have to stay for the events marking the quake's firstt anniversary. I might find work in Chongqing after I leave Yingxiu.

It is not easy because money for daily necessities is always a problem. But the students here, their families, confront similar, greater challenges every day.

When I see the children blowing the calabash pipe and the happy faces that they show from the soothing music, all of it becomes worthwhile.

Solid foundation for the future

Shen Cuiying, 62, Liujie Township, Dujiangyan, Sichuan province

I did not actually go to the quake zone to help with quake relief, but I donated 4.5 million yuan by selling my apartment in Shanghai to help build a quake-resistant school in Dujiangyan.

Many people were surprised by my decision. But I used to be a teacher myself, and my heart was broken last summer when I saw thousands of children die in schools.

When I learned that some school buildings reinforced with steel bars had withstood the tremor, I knew I had to do something. So I decided to build a new school with the highest quake-resistant standards.

The school is located in Liujie Township, Dujiangyan, where I traveled four times in the past one year to do field study and monitor the progress of construction.

I am glad that it is due for completion this July, and by September, nearly 1,000 students in the region will be able to study in a new, beautiful and safe school.

I have been told by the engineer that for every square meter of construction, 110 kg of steel is used as compared to the normal standard of 70 kg.

It is really the greatest comfort for me when I met those students a couple of months ago - they shed tears and called me 'dear granny'.

It was even more fulfilling when my third-grader grandson decided to save money from his birthday party to buy stationery for the children in Sichuan he did not even know.

In fact, my whole family is very supportive of my decision.

My son and daughter-in-law have set up a company to help firms in Dujiangyan promote their products here in Shanghai, to help them resume production and create employment for the locals.

We will donate 30 percent of the profit to Shanghai Charity Foundation, which in turn will use the money to help with reconstruction in the quake zones.

In the process, we have also discovered a new growth engine for the city of Dujiangyan.

The region has a rich output of best-quality Chinese gooseberry, with over 100 million sq m in planted area. It has the potential to become a branded product even in the international market.

It is our hope that through proper marketing and branding, the city of Dujiangyan finds a way out of the present difficulties.

 

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