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On the Scene
Special> Post-Wenchuan Quake Reconstruction> On the Scene
UPDATED: January 29, 2010 Web Exclusive
A Grateful Heart
Twin sisters from the epicenter talk about life after the quake
By DUAN FEIPING
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A HAPPY FAMILY: Twin sisters Zhu Yaoyao and Cheng Lu with their parents (DUAN FEIPING)

On January 23, 2010, a pair of local twin sisters, Zhu Yaoyao and Cheng Lu, attracted the spotlight when they performed traditional Qiang ethnic songs and dances at a key-handing ceremony held in Longxi Township, Wenchuan County, one of the worst-hit areas in the devastating May 2008 quake in west China's Sichuan Province.

The ceremony marked the completion of four projects by a construction team from Zhanjiang City in south China's Guangdong Province as part of post-Wenchuan quake reconstruction efforts.

"My older sister has my father's surname, and I have my mother's, for the sake of fairness, as my father said," Cheng Lu said with a big smile.

GREETINGS FROM AFAR: Zhu Yaoyao shows letters from Wang Yang, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee (DUAN FEIPING)

The twins were in class at Sangping Middle School when the 8.0-magnitude earthquake occurred at 2:28 in the afternoon on May 12, 2008. The school managed to evacuate more than 1,300 students to nearby Jiangweicheng Hill, which was considered a safe place because of the high and flat terrain.

Due to secondary disasters caused by the quake such as landslides, locals in Longxi Township, a unique area where 98 percent of the population belongs to the Qiang ethnic group, had to be relocated to other places.

The twins, together with their teachers and schoolmates at Sangping Middle School, relocated to south China's Guangdong Province, some 2,500 km away, and resumed classes in Jiangmen City on September 1, 2008.

Upon settling down, the twins and their schoolmates felt love all around them, as locals who were moved by their experience often sent them food, drinks, and daily necessities. A Sichuan chef was hired to cook hometown cuisine for them. They also received gifts on festival occasions, and the twins even had a video chat with their mother on Mother's Day.

"The people we met in Guangdong were really nice," Zhu Yaoyao said.

May 2009 was impressive for Zhu, who was selected as one of the student representatives to meet with Wang Yang, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee. During the meeting, Wang gave Zhu a book called In the Face of Disaster, We Have to Be Strong and encouraged her to study hard.

"He wished I would become a university student in Guangdong and go back to contribute to my hometown after graduation," Zhu said. "We promised to write letters to each other on May 12, 2039, to share our experiences as well as discuss the changes in my hometown."

On September 1, 2009, the twins and their schoolmates moved back to their newly-built campus in Longxi Township.

"Uncle Wang visited our school during his inspection tour to Longxi Township in December last year. He did not forget us!" Zhu said.

PERFORMANCE: The twins in traditonal Qiang dress danced at the key-handing ceremony on January 23 (DUAN FEIPING)

Joining the army and becoming part of the cultural troupe are the career goals the twins have set.

"The soldiers were so brave that we would like to follow in their footsteps, singing and dancing for them," Zhu said.

At the ceremony, the twins put their heart and soul into the performance, expressing their gratitude to the people of Guangdong, which they said was their "second home." 

(Reporting from Longxi, Sichuan Province)



 
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