Payback for the 13 chivalrous farmers from Tangshan
Among the heroes who inspired a nation last year were the "Thirteen Chivalrous Men from Tangshan". The farmers helped save 25 survivors and excavate victims of the earthquake that struck Sichuan on May 12.
The 13 farmers were all survivors of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Back then, the whole country helped rebuild the city in North China's Hebei province and the farmers last year took the opportunity to repay the favor by doing all they could to help the victims of Sichuan.
Song Zhiyong and his friends and relatives from Dongbalipu village, were among the first relief workers to reach the worst hit areas of Beichuan county. They worked with primitive tools, such as hammers and drill steels, and even dug through the rubble with bare hands to pull some 20 children out from a collapsed school. At one site, it took Song three hours to dig a small hole and clear bricks to free three young girls.
After carrying out the bodies of about 100 victims, Song and his team continued on to Anxian county of Mianyang city, where they spent their days transporting relief supplies and helping quake victims set up tents.
Song, a father of a 3-year-old, says he had no time to think about his family. "As a survivor of the Tangshan earthquake, I am very sad for Sichuan people. I have no other choice, but to do anything I can to help," Song says.
Song's team had already touched the nation's heart when they joined relief efforts in February, when a rare heavy snowstorm swept across southern China. On the eve of the Spring Festival - with shovels and pickaxes - they set out for Chenzhou in Hunan province. The storm caused a 13-day power outage in Chenzhou, and several districts were without water for days.
The farmers spent long days clearing snow off a road leading to a power transmission tower on the mountain. They did not utter a single complaint about the harsh conditions, but instead laughed at the local cuisine, which used hot peppers in every dish.
(China Daily 02/09/2009 page8)
