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Willing to Give

Getting to see things that no one outside of Beijing or China can see or even imagine at times is one of the best things about living full time in China’s capital.

Never has this been more gratifying to me than in the days following the massive Wenchuan earthquake on May 12. In addition to the moving remembrance that began with the wail of air raid sirens in the capital on May 19, there have been hundreds of scenes that may even have been more poignant that largely escaped the public eye.

I was walking to work through the Wenzhang Hutong in southern Beijing one morning when something bright green caught my eye. It was a sign encouraging local residents to donate 10 yuan (US$1.40) out of love for quake victims. Inching his way toward the red donors’ box was a man who I’ve encountered hundreds of times over the past year, who steadfastly works hard walking up and down Beigangzi Jie each morning to recover from what appears to be the effects of a stroke. As always, his wife looked on as he inched his way to the box and deposited his donation with his good hand.

In far eastern Beijing, in the Songzhuang artists’ village, phones began ringing on May 12. It was obvious to everyone even then that the disaster in Sichuan and surrounding provinces would be profound: the artists responded by donating artworks that in some cases they could barely afford to create. One-hundred percent of the artworks were purchased by collectors, raising 470,000 yuan ($67,889) or quake survivors. No one moved as each of the artist/donors names were recalled on June 7 in Songzhuang or during a solemn moment when everyone faced southwest and bowed their heads.

In another community to the east of Wenzhang Hutong, a collection took place outside an elementary school. The names of donors and how much they’d given were listed neatly in coloured chalk on a blackboard near the donors’ box.

The latter practice has raised a few eyebrows. Some say the practice of listing names is intended to shame people who can hardly afford to make any donation to give even more, but there is something deeper at work here I think that the wider world needs to note.

One veteran of 44 years service with the Xinhua News Agency, who covered (and who had to cover up some things about) the Tangshan earthquake in the 1970s said: “I’ve never seen anything like this; I think it will have profound social significance in our society.

“With the reform and opening, especially since the housing reforms of the late 1990s, people have been focusing on themselves and material things. This earthquake and the response to it has caused them to think of the broader society in a way I’ve never seen before. No one told them to do this; no one ordered them to do this. They just did it, and this is really something special and important.”

I agree.

I am sure my words will not be the last on this topic, and I hope those who have time to look into this phenomenon will, because what we’ve seen here in Beijing has been a special thing to experience. I know I won’t forget it.