A 16-year old survivor

A 16-year-old student Li An'ning from Beichuan No. 1 Middle School had the good fortune to survive the earthquake.

Now, lying on the stretcher, she is terrified of shaking. People carry her with great care in case any shaking might frighten her.

"I wasn't frightened of dying at all, but I was very scared when everything was shaking," she said.

Two days ago, she was having a geography lesson at around 2:30 when the classroom suddenly began to shake. Li An'ning recalls that she was on the fourth floor, and the building collapsed within 20 seconds. Three storeys, from the third to fifth, were crushed together.

Through the gloom, Li An'ning saw her classmate Li Yuanfeng who was duty student for the day, in his white coat. He was sitting motionless. "I took his hand and called his name, but there was no response. At first his hand was warm; very quickly it became cold."

Unable to move, Li An'ning kept shouting the names of her classmates. Three good friends lay close to her, but she couldn’t reach them. She learned later that the three had all been killed.

For almost 10 hours she was trapped in the dark. Some students regained consciousness and began to shout to each other. Someone yelled, "Class 7 Grade 1, we must get out. Keep your spirits up!" Someone else shouted, "When we get out of here, we must study hard!"

"I don't know who came up with the idea, but all the survivors began to sing. Together we sang many popular songs," Li An'ning said. She clearly remembered singing Guang Liang's (a Chinese popular singer) "Fairy Tale", part of whose lyrics goes "the end is blessedness and happiness."

Lying on the corridor of the Central Hospital of Mianyang City, Li An’ning was waiting for medical help. Although her left leg was broken, her face showed no pain. The gentle girl smiled at us, "Don't worry. I'm not afraid of physical hurt."

Where are you, mom and dad？

Li Chunchun, a 5-year-old girl, lay on a bed in the hospital. All the people in the ward felt sorry for the child, whose parents had still not been found.

When asked about her physical state, she uncovered her vest, under which her name and her father's name Li Huayi could be seen on her chest. They had been written by the policeman who got her to the hospital.

Chunchun wore a little pink wool vest, with her hair in two braids. "Mom brushed my hair," she said. But she hadn't seen her mother since the earthquake.

This little girl lived in Xiaobazi township, Anxian County. She was on the way to kindergarten with her grandmother when the earthquake struck. "Stones smashed at me. They hit my head and eyes. The policeman saved me."

"Where is your grandma?"

"She is dead."

At an age that should be free of care, Chunchun, would say "I miss dad. I miss mom" from time to time. She could also count on her fingers her favorite foods – apples, bananas, oranges and fish. When asked what 10 plus 2 make, she counted thoughtfully before saying: "It's six."

There were scars on her face. The nurse told her not to scratch them and she did as she was asked.

People in the same ward said the child was lively and well-behaved. She seldom cried and ate whatever was given to her.

Chunchun held a carton of milk. She took a drink, and said, "I miss mom."

Fighting off her pain since climbing out of the ruins

In contrast to Li Chunchun's liveliness, Shen Xiaoyu lay silent for most of the time, huddled against the quilt on the sickbed. There was congealed blood on her face and a mass of bruises narrowed her eyes into a slit.

Yang Dongmei, a volunteer responsible for caring for Xiaoyu, said that the child, although only four, was quite strong. Her face had been covered with blood when she arrived in the hospital. According to the rescue personnel, Xiaoyu had climbed out of the ruins by herself. The rest of her family might well be dead.

Asked about this, Xiaoyu would say nothing but that she had been saved by a policeman.

She wore a loose coat, provided by a kind-hearted donor.

Her strength and courage had won her the sympathy of her carers. "Dear, does it hurt? Please tell us if you feel any pain." Xiaoyu shook her head.

"She is an intelligent child," said Yang Dongmei. Her injury is intracranial. The wounds on her face might leave her scarred. Everyone feels distressed for her, but the child never complains about the pain.

Xiaoyu had also been sent from Beichuan County, but no detailed address was available. She remembers that her father's name is Shen Shuneng.

(Source: The Beijing News, translated by Wang Wei for China.org.cn, May 16, 2008)