Teacher's blog describes happy times before disaster

The pictures showed teachers and students from senior grade 3 of Beichuan Middle School happily playing games on the school grounds.

Tang Gaoping, the teacher who had uploaded the pictures onto his blog, was even seen in one photo racing with two basketballs under his arms and another between his legs.

"I am an ordinary teacher. I hope my blog becomes a happy paradise of my students and friends," Tang had written in his blog introduction.

In the photos, the 45-year-old teacher and his students are full of joy. One day later, on May 12, Beichuan becomes one of the worst hit areas from the quake that struck Sichuan.

More than 3,000 teachers and students of Beichuan Middle School in Mianyang city were having classes when the quake hit.

Tang and his students were those that went missing.

Their fate pulled at the heartstrings of tens of thousands of netizens from the time the school's five-story building was leveled.

More than 2,000 people nationwide left messages on Tang's blog, which has been viewed more than 250,000 times.

"Mr Tang, do you remember you often said I was too naughty? Where are you now?" asked a student who graduated from the school in 2005.

"I am a teacher too, I hope you and your students survive the earthquake. We are all praying for you and all Beichuan students!" wrote a teacher from Beijing.

Tang had posted the pictures on his blog at 7:49 am, May 12, about 7 hours before the earthquake.

Rescuers went to work immediately after the disaster hit. On May 16, President Hu Jintao inspected Beichuan and came to the middle school to encourage quake survivors and rescuers. "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will use all means possible to try and rescue them," Hu said.

Even as a week has passed and the hope of finding survivors is said to be fading, rescuers have been holding on to hope and are continuing to search for victims.

"Hope to see the smiling faces in the pictures again; hope it is not Mr Tang's last entry," many netizens wrote on Tang's blog.

Some locals later said they saw Tang and his students safe in a gym.

On Sunday, a netizen posted news of Tang and his students escaping from the building.

At 5:40 pm on Sunday, a web administrator posted a statement on Tang's blog, saying that the teacher and his class were safe and sound.

Later that day, Tang refreshed his blog, confirming that his 56 students were also safe.

He expressed gratitude to those who had shown their support. Many netizens who have been closely following Tang's blog also expressed their relief and cheered.

A list of 1,342 survivors of Beichuan Middle School, including Tang and his students, was posted online yesterday.

On the afternoon when the deadly quake struck, Tang said he was conducting a lesson for class 8 in senior grade 3, at the top floor of the five-story building.

Tang asked his students to calm down. After what he thought were the strongest tremors had passed, Tang immediately led his students out of the building.

The building collapsed, but three stories still stood. Eight classes on the first two floors were buried. Another school building was leveled.

"We are lucky to survive, but our hearts are broken over those who lost their lives," Tang said.

(China Daily 05/20/2008 page16)