Chinese TV showed a profile of a woman--probably in her late 20s to early 30s. She worked in the relief and recovery effort for 3 days straight in a desolate, mountainous area, without rest, despite having lost her parents and child (possibly her only child) to the earthquake. On national TV, she stood straight, keeping her composure thanks to all of her training as an officer, despite all she'd gone through and the fact that she nearly fainted on stage. This is courage and resilience at its finest.
Chinese from all over the world have donated their money, blood, and compassion to the relief effort. Even my grandmother donated some money, even though it wasn't much. We have, and so did the Chinese community here in Aramco. The incredible solidarity shown by all the Chinese of the world is an amazing example to follow. The people who were in China before, during and after the quake--regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality--could testify to the strength of that solidarity and the resilience of the Chinese people. We're not a force to mess around with.
This Chinese administration has done a wonderful job so far, and not just in responding to this disaster. Among those affected were some of the poorest in China, and many of them were members of minority ethnic groups. Compare the reaction of the Chinese gov't. and military with the puny effort by the U.S. gov't. after Katrina. It's beyond compare, really--the Chinese simply did a much better job. There will be people who say that this is just for show because the Chinese gov't. wants to improve China's image for the Olympic Games, and that the gov't. would never have responded this well if it hadn't been for the upcoming Games. It's too bad that there will always be critics. I rest comfortably at night, knowing that these people didn't, don't, and won't even try to understand anything about China.
