The“disaster”towhichFurefersistheTangshanearthquake.At3:42a.m.onJuly28,1976,acatastrophicearthquakeobliteratedthecityinnorthernChina’sHebeiProvince,claimingatotalof242,769livesanddestroyingthousandsofbuildings.Fortyyearslater,thescarsofthedisasterremainfreshforthesurvivors.
AsculpturedepictingthetimewhentheTangshanearthquakeoccurredattheentrancetoTangshanEarthquakeMemorialParkremindsvisitorsofthedisasterthatdevastatedthecity40yearsago.LifeinRehabilitationVillage
Fu,then21,wasworkingasan“educatedyouth”inthecountrysideofTangshanwhentheearthquakestruck.Heoncedreamedofbecomingamusician.“I’velikedplayingmusicalinstrumentssincechildhood,”hereveals.“At14,IwasadmittedtoamilitaryarttroupeinKunming,YunnanProvince.Consideringmyyoungage,myparentsforbademyjoining,anditbecamealifelongregret.”
July28,1976markedanapocalypticdayinthememoriesofFuandothersurvivorsoftheTangshanearthquake.Fuhadjustfallenasleepwhenthegroundbeganquivering.Inafewseconds,thehouseinwhichhewaslivingcollapsed,andagiganticconcretebrickdroppedonhislegs.
Afterbeingrescuedfromthedebris,Fu’stwolegswereamputatedbelowthethigh.Hisparentswerebothkilledinthequake.FuwassenttotheShijiazhuangFourthHospitalforfurthertreatment.Threeyearsandeightmonthslater,hereturnedtoTangshantoreceiverehabilitationatalocalhospitalforparaplegicpatients.
Fudidn’tgiveuphismusicaldream.Heplayedtheerhu(atraditionalstringedinstrument)everydaytoentertainhimselfandotherpatientsinthehospital.Oneofhisfans,LiuYuhua,eventuallybecamehiswife.
“Weoftenatedinneranddidlaundrytogether,”Furecalls.“Once,shewasseverelyscaldedwhilebathingbecauseoflackoffeelinginherlowerlimbs.IbegantohelpherasmuchasIcould.Weeventuallyfellinloveandgotmarried.”
Aftertherehabilitationvillagewasestablishedin1992,Fuandhiswifemovedthere.Withouthopeforchildren,theygotadognamed“Pudding.”Thebarkingpuppyinjectedasenseofvitalityintotheirpeacefullives.
Therehabilitationvillageishiddeninasmall,nondescriptstreetbehindTangshanPeople’sHospital,featuringavarietyofaccessiblefacilitiesdesignedtoofferconveniencetothedisabled.Whenitopened,26disaster-affectedhouseholdsmovedin.Allofthemwereblendedfamiliesaftertheearthquakeandwereturningthepageonahopefulnewchapteroftheirlives.AsfamouswriterGuanRenshan,alsoasurvivoroftheTangshanearthquake,wrote:“Theearthquakeshookthegroundabruptly,andmanyfamilieswerebrokenupanddestroyedsorrowfully.Evenwhensurvivorsformednewfamilies,theycouldstillneverescapetheshadowofthedisaster…Theysupportandconsoleeachotherintimesofdistressinabidtofindanewfootholdfortheirlivesandhealtheirwoundswithhumanityandlove.”
Thedeadlyearthquakeleft3,817peopleparaplegicafteramputation.AnexpertfromtheWorldHealthOrganizationhadpredictedthatnoneofthemwouldliveformorethan15years.Ithasbeenfourdecadesafterthedisaster,andabout1,000paraplegicTangshansurvivorsarestillalive.Ofthem,34dwellintherehabilitationvillage.
WangXiaohui,58,andherhusbandbothsufferfromparaplegiaandhavelivedintherehabilitationvillagetogetherfor14years.Whentheearthquakestruck,18year-oldWangwashittingthebestyearsofherlife.Ittookyearsforhertoaccepttherealitythatshelostherlegs.Atfirst,shefeltashamedandseldomwentout.Herpsychologicaltraumagraduallyhealedwiththepassageoftime.
“IreturnedtoTangshanafterreceivingmedicaltreatmentinNantongforsixmonths,”sherecalls.“Ioncedreamedofwalkingagainandworkedhardonrehabilitationexercises.Gradually,Iacceptedthereality.Afterall,myfamilysurvivedtheearthquake,andourhousedidn’tcollapse.Ishouldfeelluckythatthedisasterdidn’ttakeeverythingawayfromme.”
FuPingshengandhiswife,LiuYuhua,attheirhomeinTangshanrehabilitationvillage.Bothareparaplegicsurvivorsofthe1976Tangshanearthquake.Theymovedtotherehabilitationvillagewhenitwascompletedin1992.Bornin1976
FanZhenlingnevercelebratesherbirthday.Shewasborn19daysbeforetheTangshanearthquake.Thedisastertookthelivesofherthreefamilymembers:hergrandparentsandherthen15-year-oldaunt.Herbirthdayalwaysremindsherofherlostfamily.
ManylikeFanwerebornin1976andsurvivedthedisaster.Manyoftheirnamescontaintheword“Zhen”(literally,“earthquake”).Forthem,theearthquakehasbecomealifelonglabel.
Whenshewentawaytocollege,FanwasfrequentlyaskedbyclassmateswhethershecamefromdowntownTangshanandhowmanyfamilymembersshehadlostintheearthquake.Shespilledeverythingsheknewaboutthedisasteronce,hopingthattheywouldneveraskagain.However,suchquestionscontinuedbotheringherforyears.
Fortyyearshavepassedsincetheearthquake.Fan,nowinher40s,hasnodirectmemoryofthedisaster.Shehasstoppedaskingherparentsdetailsaboutthequakeanddoesn’twanttoshareherstorieswithherownchildren.
Despitethelackof“Zhen”inhisname,WangYangisanothersurvivorofTangshanearthquakebornin1976.“Whenoutlandersaskedmeabouttheearthquake,ItoldthemhowIwasrescued,”hesays.Helostthreemembersofhisfamily,includinghiselderbrotherwhowasthenfiveyearsold,hisgrandfather,andhisaunt.
The2010featurefilmbasedontheTangshanearthquake,Aftershock,receivedamixedresponsefromsurvivorsbornin1976:Somecouldn’twaittowatchthemovie,inhopesofbettervisualizingeverythingtheyweretoldabouttheearthquake,whileothersrefusedtowatchitbecausetheydidn’twanttofacethesorrowfulscenesthathadplaguedtheirwholelives.Fanfittheformer,andWangthelatter.
Wangoncethoughtthathehadtotallyrecoveredfromthedisaster.“Thefilmremindedmeofthesorrow,”heexplains.“Thepainremainsfreshevenforsurvivorswithnodirectmemoryoftheearthquake.Suchafeelingisfueledbythefamilialvoidthatcanneverbeforgottenorwashedawaybytime.”
FuPingsheng,amemberoftheTangshanWheelchairBasketballTeam,hasattendedNationalGamesofDisabledPersonsseveraltimes.HeoncewonbronzeataHongKongwheelchairbasketballeventasamemberoftheHebeiprovincialteam.July23,2016:LocalresidentsmournforthefamilytheylostintheTangshanearthquakeinfrontofthememorialwallinTangshanEarthquakeMemorialPark.
CarpenterTangXiaozhenworksonawoodenchairinhisstudio.HewasborninatentonSeptember6,1976,some40daysaftertheTangshanearthquakethattookawaythelivesofhisgrandparents.
LiuYuhuausesawheelchairtodeliversomecaketoherhusbandforsupper.Sheiscomfortabletakingawheelchairforshortjourneysandanelectricmotorcycleforlongertrips.