China’s response to the Qinghai quake

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 in: Current Events

I remember the Sichuan earthquake last year, when China was very closed off in terms of letting aid and media into the disaster zone. Its media and relief isolation was seen as stubborn obstinance, pride in the face of natural disaster. China wanted to handle this internally, and didn’t need the world’s help or attention. Or so we thought.

It later became evident that many schoolchildren were killed when their poorly-constructed schools collapsed around them. These schools, later nicknamed “Tofu-dreg schoolhouses,” 豆腐渣校舍, were responsible for many deaths, and 7,000 of these buildings collapsed while the surrounding buildings were relatively unaffected. Parents of these dead children have protested their government for cutting corners in constructing the buildings, but have been censored and prevented from getting much media attention. This would be an example of 河蟹　（A Chinese euphemism for being “harmonized,” or censored).

My first morning here in Wuhan, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of about 6.9, that struck the Qinghai province about 2000 miles to the west of where I am. I didn’t feel anything or know about the quake until some people back home asked if I was alright and I turned on the TV. By then, the body count had reached 700 and over 10,000 were injured. At the time I wrote this, the death toll approaches 1,500.

Many more photos of the aftermath and relief effort here: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/earthquake_in_yushu_china.html

Today, I turned on the TV and for the past two hours there has been nonstop coverage of the disaster relief, including an extensive press conference (in English) from the government, including a full Q&A section from reporters from all over the world. What I find interesting is the government’s apparent consideration for the religious beliefs of the local people (especially in the Tibetan areas affected), local monks are aiding in the disaster relief, and performing funeral services for the dead. China (and by China, I mean the minister of disaster relief heading this conference) is doing a lot to show it is sensitive to the needs of the victims, including their religious beliefs, dietary habits, and monetary needs to recover from the quake. One example of this is an increased payout to victim’s families (8,000元/$1,172 as opposed to 5,000元/$732 from previous quakes) and a substantial amount of food relief is flour and other grains rather than rice, showing they are paying attention to the people to whom they are providing relief). The ultimate test comes in the form of a request from the Dalai Lama himself to visit the stricken area (source). A similar visit to the landslide zones in Taiwan last year angered China, but it will be interesting to see how they respond, given their apparent sensitivity to the local religions. Something tells me he won’t be allowed to visit.

The government officials are very keen to emphasize the speed of their response, and how effective their relief efforts have been, still saving people trapped in the rubble. The collapsed homes are mostly mud and brick huts, which made them vulnerable to the quake, but I see in their own footage many large buildings reduced to piles of rubble. Given China’s history for cutting corners and zeal for rapid expansion and construction, I can’t help but wonder if we’re facing another scandal.

I don’t know what media coverage outside China is like, but I wonder if the eyes of the world will turn again to China like they did after the Sichuan quake. I also wonder if China’s previous experience with scandal and media isolation has taught them how to better respond to this disaster with more transparency. Evading or blockading media attention only intensifies the world’s gaze, and so it seems that China has learned this lesson. But only time will tell.

In the meantime, I wish there were something I could do to help the relief efforts.

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