Exploring and keeping readers up to date with the growing economic and political ties between China and South America. Including all the good stuff: Commodities, Energy, International Finance, South-South Cooperation, Microfinance and more
One year ago, Sichuan Province was struck by a devastating 8.0 magnitude earthquake. Thousands of visitors flocked to Sichuan province to pay their respects to the victims of the May 12th earthquake which killed over 80,000 people.
In Beichuan, a valley town totally wiped out by the 8.0 magnitude quake, family and friends gathered to light incense and ritual paper money to comfort the dead.
“I feel that this earthquake is not over yet, every time I see something related to the earthquake I feel like crying." ~ 20 year old XiaoYao who lost her brother and sister
“I feel so sad and heart broken and it hurts in my heart. I did not want to come back to this town. It brings back so many bad memories.” ~ 46 year old Xiao Caigui who lost over 30 relatives
The worst devastation was in Wenchuan where nearly 24,000 died or went missing and Beichuan county where 20,000 of its 160,000 residents perished in the quake.
Last year China hosted the Olympic games. It was also forced to deal paralyzing snow storms, worse than usual flooding during monsoon season (their equivalent of hurricanes) and oh yes... the most devastating earthquake in terms of power and damage since the quake which caused the Tsunami in few years back.
James Reynolds is the BBC's Beijing correspondent. The following excerpts and video have been been compiled from his most recent article, published at his BBC blog.
"I've just been down to Sichuan to see what things are like a year after the earthquake which killed more than 85,000 people...."
...
The Sichuan earthquake has now taken a prominent place in this national story. The government's response was portrayed as quick and compassionate. The Premier, Wen Jiabao, was cast as the noble hero - the leader who cried with the bereaved and who promised that fallen towns would one day rise again.
This is the official legend of the earthquake. It's what ordinary Chinese people are told - and it's probably what most of them genuinely believe as well.
On a hilltop overlooking the ruins of the town of Beichuan, hundreds of Chinese tourists now queue up to buy pieces of this legend. Vendors sell picture books and DVDs of the disaster, incense and candles to be placed on memorials.
But these tourists know almost nothing of the parents' story. Since early June 2008, the Communist Party has banned the Chinese media from covering the parents' campaign.
Over the last year, local officials have harassed, sometimes even attacked the parents in an effort to keep them quiet.
Click here to access Reynolds full article @ his BBC blog.
It's been a hectic week for anyone paying attention to world news. This week, Financial markets began with the typical up one day and down the next scenario that has been playing out for the past few weeks now. Adding to it all, even more problems have emerged concerning slowing economies around the world (the US actually being an exception this time), more credit woes and a bunch of other wonderful developments that are not really helping bring back market confidence.
Add to this mix... (apologies if I miss a natural disaster affecting some region of the world, but Western media is now being dominated by the news on the hurricane front in the gulf coast)
- Two hurricanes passing over poor Cuba on route to the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Click here to access a full article covering the storm from Reuters.
- Yet another earthquake in Sichuan province of China... yes the same province that suffered the horrible quake earlier this year in May. Click here to read more on yesterdays quake from Xinhua.
Residents gather around campfire to evade earthquake in Yinlu Village, Datian Town, Renhe District of Panzhihua City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 31, 2008. Twenty-two people were dead after an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit Panzhihua City on Saturday. As of 9 p.m., 17 people were reported dead and about 100 others injured in Sichuan, and five people dead and 35 others injured in neighboring Yunnan Province. The quake struck the juncture of Renhe District of Panzhihua and Huili County of the Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Liangshan at 4:30 p.m. (Beijing time). (Xinhua/Chen Haining)
- Flooding in India... massive flooding, click here to read the full updated story from AFP
You might have noticed how earlier in the week India was dominating headlines in Western press, then suddenly a tropical storm goes nasty and New Orleans takes over... leaving the quake hit region (2nd time this year now), little sympathy from the West.
I think CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are having a panic attack right about now (that is if they where living beings) because its just too darn hard to cover Obama vs McCain and all these juicy rating grabbing disasters...
Overall-- things look gloomy. More updates to come concerning Commodities, South-South Cooperation and Colombia's Oil Industry
After a long amount time (well more than usual), spent thinking about what to concentrate this update on, I found this video on my Picassa (google video) web albums-- along with other long forgotten items...
I decided to orient this post video which is of a taxi ride down a major avenue in the Capital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu. This post is therefore dedicated towards helping the people of Sichuan province, who as I've reported in past posts have suffered a great deal in the past month and a half.
The province of Sichuan is known to be home to the Chinese frequently considered the most "relaxed and mellow," people of China. Traditional tea houses, some with a modern flare these days, are all around the capital of the province-- Chengdu. Sad it was the only part of the province I was able to visit.
I shot this video using a digital camera in December of 2006. My friend and i were on our way from our hotel to Chendu Daxue-- which translates into Chengdu University.
This video was taken as my friend I road in a taxi along a main road in Chengdu, a city in South-Western China of 10,000,000 people!--which despite being larger than New York City has remained largely off the world's radar for years... that is until a 8.0 earthquake struck, killing roughly 65,000 thousand people and causing countless other miseries.
Following the video are links to websites in which you can offer your support if you so choose to the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan province.
The Redcross and the UN have their own donation sites as well, google them if you'd like. I tend to avoid both, but who I am to judge... No further comment, hehe.
