Society

To remember and to forget, China keeps ruins of big quake

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-10 12:28

REST IN PEACE

Since May 2010, the old town has been opened to the public. But only 1,000 visitors who made reservations beforehand are allowed in per day.

The visitors could express their condolences to the quake victims, which was also a comfort for the victims' families, Zhao said.

Every visitor is charged 12 yuan for the transportation, as they are only allowed to enter the ruins in buses provided by the headquarters.

"We do not sell entrance tickets. Visitors' private cars are not allowed in for the sake of the solemnity and order in the ruins," Zhao said.

To prevent the deceased from being dishonored, the headquarters workers established one-meter-high fences to keep visitors away from the ruins and notice signs to remind the visitors to behave themselves.

Words such as "Our loved ones are sleeping, please keep quiet" are written in Chinese, English, Korean and Japanese.

The headquarters had transformed the newly-built river dikes into roads, which would enable vehicles to bypass the cemetery, which was located by the main road of the old town, Zhao said.

"Now, many vehicles still have to pass the main road that leads to a dozen townships in Beichuan," he said.

In the Donghekou Quake Relics Park in Qingchuan county, which is about three hours' drive from Beichuan, dozens of cross-shaped signs are inserted on several small hills.

More than 780 quake victims of Donghekou village were buried about 110 meters underneath the signs.

"Their homes were, in a flash, blanketed by the rocks," said He Xiantong, a Donghekou villager who lost 12 family members in the quake. He runs a small shop at the entrance of the park to make ends meet.

The sign, called "Chuandou", is part of the framework of the traditional local residential houses.

"Chuandou marks where families are buried. The signs will make the deceased feel the warmth of homes," He said.

A CHANGING SITUATION

However, to preserve or clean the quake ruins has become a pending question in Yingxiu township, the epicenter of the quake, in Wenchuan county.

"We also hope to make the ruins a memorial. But unlike Beichuan, we rebuilt the township in its original site," said Liu Wei, deputy head of Wenchuan.

Ruins in the densely-populated areas would cast a shadow over the lives of nearby residents, Liu said.

Paul Andreu, a world-renowned architect, held similar opinions.

The 73-year-old Frenchman, whose works involve China's National Centre for the Performing Arts, designed, at the invitation of the local government, an international center for academic exchanges on precautions to take against earthquakes and relief from disasters in Yingxiu township.

The cruel scenes of the disaster won't offer positive influences to the survivors, he said in a letter written to the local government. He suggested gradually burying the ruins with soil.

As a matter of fact, the sorrowful atmosphere in the old town of Beichuan has begun fading. For example, some black-and-white banners and signs in the ruins have been replaced by blue-and white ones.

"We made the changes to create an atmosphere that is less depressed and more placid. It has been three years. We hope the bereaved people can leave their grief behind in the near future," Zhao said.