Editor’s note: Today (May 12) marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Sichuan. Here is a selection of news stories and links related to the anniversary.
CNN.com: Plight of the giant panda: Animals struggle after quake
“As people across China’s Sichuan province continue to rebuild their lives one year after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake leveled some towns and cities, the region’s famed giant pandas are still struggling due to the devastation wreaked by the deadly temblor.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/11/china.quake.pandas/
the beijinger blog: Afterquake: Fusing folk and electronica for victims of the Sichuan earthquake
“While life goes on here in Beijing, many of the survivors of the quake are still slowly rebuilding their lives. To commemorate this momentous tragedy, acclaimed folk artist Abigail Washburn (The Sparrow Quartet) and producer David Liang, the founder of the Shanghai Restoration Project, have teamed up on a project fusing their field recordings of Sichuan folk songs and ambient sounds with a mélange of electronica textures and hip hop-laced beats. The result is Afterquake, a seven-song benefit ep that comes out on the one-year anniversary May 12th.”
http://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2009/05/12/Afterquake-Fusing-folk-and-electronica-for-victims-of-the-Sichuan-earthquake
http://www.afterquakemusic.com/
NPR: ‘Afterquake’: Rebuilding Sichuan With Song
“From the darkest depths, these children were actually able to find so much happiness, especially in the school. It was an amazing communal experience,” says Liang, producer of the Shanghai Restoration Project. “The earthquake definitely brought them all closer together.”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103906236
guardian.co.uk: A year on from the Chinese earthquake, love flourishes amid ruins of Sichuan
“At least 600 survivors from the town have remarried and officials hope that more will follow in the near future. The authorities have paid for group weddings and plan to hold a matchmaking fair. A local women’s group has hired an agent to help widows find love again.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/11/anniversary-sichuan-earthquake-china
WSJ: A Year Later, China’s Quake Survivors Struggle
“As Tuesday’s first anniversary nears of the 7.9-magnitude quake, which killed almost 70,000 people and left more than 17,000 others missing, people in the hardest-hit areas of Sichuan province are struggling to piece together their lives and rebuild devastated communities.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124182412299902277.html
CCTV International: Touch of the Panda Premieres in Beijing
“Filming started in Wolong, a three-hour drive from Chengdu, in February 2008 and took about three months. The May 12 Sichuan earthquake last year killed panda Mao Mao, who played orphan Pang Pang’s mother. Wolong itself was nearly destroyed by the quake and is still being rebuilt. All six pandas who played Pang Pang are safe and have been relocated to zoos and reserves around China. The movie is also the only complete film recording of the reserve before the earthquake.”
http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090511/101506.shtml
Sichuan Quake Relief
“Sichuan Quake Relief is a non-profit, humanitarian organisation dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by the 12 May 2008 Sichuan earthquake.”
http://www.sichuan-quake-relief.org/?page_id=2
