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May 12. 2008 April 28. 2010

W E N C H U A N & T H E S P I R I T O F R E S I L I E N C E

L I V I N G W I T H D I S A S T E R

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SHUIMO

April 28 CelebrationShuimo Town:

April 28. wascelebrated by theribbon cutting atthe Foshan Bridge.Local people wereproud of theirachievements

RIBBON-CUTTING AT FOSHAN BRIDGE

Shortly after the massive earthquake struck Sichuan ISC (Institute for CivilSociety) issued an appeal for donations to help people in the affected areasrecover over the long term

he local leaders and the delegation of theFriends of the UN from New York visited ShuimoTown in southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 28, 2010.Shuimo Town was hit by the earthquake on May12, 2008.In the past two years, a construction team fromFoshan of south China's Guangdong Provincehelped Shuimo Town to be more livable and nowthe town became a cultural and tourist spot. According to provincial government data themassive earthquake claimed the lives of 5,335schoolchildren.Over 100 NGO leaders, community leaders,government ofﬁcials, and experts convened for aday of discussion and sharing of best practicesand lessons learned.

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Sichuan Tragedy SparksCultural Shift

In the aftermath of Sichuan's devastatingearthquake last May, which killed 69,181people and injured 374,171, individuals andcompanies from all over the world havedonated money and supplies in hugenumbers to the victims. Even moresigniﬁcant perhaps, an unprecedentednumber of individuals in China havevolunteered to help in the earthquake zoneor contributed money, as well.In a nationwide campaign, students andeven children have been encouraged todonate portions of what little they mighthave to earthquake relief in what appears toreﬂect shifting public attitudes towardcharitable giving.Li Kike, a 21-year-old student at Shanghai'sDonghua University, thinks the late springsnowstorms that snarled nationwide traveland transport earlier in the year, combinedwith protests abroad over the progress ofthe Olympic torch, and most lately theSichuan earthquake, have helped changedhow China's youth feel and how olderChinese feel about them."This generation is very unique," Li said. "Wedon't have very hard times in politics orlifestyle. Now we are just being more andmore supportive to our country and we reallywant to help people who were in theearthquake."Li recalled reading an online message board,or what is referred to in China as a BBS, onwhich some called his generation the "ruinedgeneration." But the earthquake, he said,gave older Chinese a chance to reconsiderthe role of Chinese youth in society: "Ourreactions and responsibilities changedpeople's minds - they reconsidered ourstrength."In recent years, older Chinese havecharacterized the the country’s youth as the“Me Generation,” one that, according to a2007 storyin Time magazine, ischaracterized by its "self-interested,apolitical pragmatism."Yet the "Me Generations' generous responseto aiding earthquake victims may be thestart of something new. One recent posteron the China Daily’sBBSasserted herwillingness to donate to the earthquakevictims despite describing herself as "a poorcollege student." "I donate[d] severalhundred yuan to the earthquake," she said."It is tiny, but we have 1.3 billion [people] likeme. The Chinese are unconquerable."It may be too early to say whether or notthere will be a major rise in the willingness ofChinese citizens across the board to makedonations and volunteer on a long-termbasis. But if the reaction to the earthquake isany indication, a more long-lasting changecould be on the way.http:// www.chinaonthebrink.com/content/sichuan-tragedy-sparks-cultural-shift