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Lijiang earthquake appeal
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Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 22:58:21 -0800 From: Roger_Howard@sfu.ca (Roger Howard) Subject: Lijiang earthquake appeal
Background on the situation in the Lijiang earthquake zone in China
As some of you may already know, there are faculty and graduate students in the School of Communication and the School of Resource and Environmental Management who have been involved for the past four years in a collaborate development project in Lijiang County together with the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences.
The information that follows comes primarily via telephone calls and faxes from colleagues at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences who are themselves from Lijiang. Their reports are based on firsthand observation or telephone conversations with friends and relatives in Lijiang.
The earthquake occurred at 7:14 p.m. (China time) and measured 7 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was in Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County. The disaster area covers 7000 sq. kilometers and includes parts of Zhongdian Tibetan Autonomous County to the north of Lijiang County, and neighboring Heqin and Eryuan counties as well.
As of Feb. 7, casualties include 280 people killed, about 14,000 injured of whom 3,700 suffered severe injuries. The numbers of dead and injured continue to rise as rescuers reach remote mountain villages without road access.
Approximately 410,000 houses have collapsed or been severely damaged. Estimates of the number of people made homeless range from 250,000 to 300,000. This is a very significant figure since the entire population of Lijiang County at the last census was only 325,000 people. There are villages in Lijiang in which 90% or more of the homes have been destroyed. Besides those whose homes have collapsed, many others are sleeping in the open for fear that their damaged houses will come down in an aftershock. There have been more than 200 aftershocks since the earthquake occurred, including 18 that measured between 4 and 4.8, and one, on the morning of Feb. 5, that measured 6 on the Richter scale.
The greatest concern of the moment is a severe shortage of tents, plastic sheeting, blankets, quilts, and warm clothing to protect the enormous numbers of people sleeping in the open. Lijiang is a mountainous area with most towns and villages located at altitudes between 7,500 and 10,500 ft. Over the past week night-time temperatures have been dropping to minus 10 degrees Centigrade. A large proportion of the homeless are elderly, and there is fear that many may not survive continued exposure to the cold. There is also a shortage of food and medicine. The local hydro-electric power plant was destroyed by the earthquake. Except for power produced by small emergency generators, the entire area is without electricity. Water pipes were also damaged, and people in the county seat are becoming ill from drinking and cooking with polluted water. There is a very real danger that many more people will die in the coming days from disease and illnesses exacerbated by exposure to the cold wind.
The official estimate of the property destroyed by the quake is 4.4 billion RMB or approximately Can. $730 million. This figure, however, cannot convey the enormity of the disaster from the perspective of the peoples of Lijiang. In telephone conversations with colleagues at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, we have been told that some of the elders are dressing up in the best clothes they have left and returning to what remains of their devastated homes to sit and wait to "die at home." To understand this action, it is necessary to know something about Naxi people's sense of place and deep attachment to their homes. Naxi families spend a large proportion of their household incomes and savings to build, rennovate, and decorate their large courtyard houses. These houses are typically two stories and built in a rectangle around a central courtyard. The courtyard is often paved with stones laid out in beautiful traditional designs with mythological significance. There is usually a covered veranda looking out into the courtyard where the family eats their meals and socializes with friends and neighbors in good weather. In the courtyard and on the veranda members of the household, especially the elders, typically keep songbirds, bonsai, and pots of flowering plants. The windows and doors are typically latticed with elaborate wood carvings of birds, flowers, and trees. The Naxi believe that if a wild bird chooses to build a nest within their courtyard or in the rafters of their house, it is very auspicious and should be welcomed and allowed to raise its own family undisturbed.
The Naxi have only one territory in this world that they call their homeland, and that is Lijiang. There are Naxi towns and villages in Lijiang that have architectural structures that date back to the 12th century. Many towns and villages have intricate systems of small canals that channel water alongside narrow stone-cobbled streets, often running right beside the front doors of people's homes. Nearby snow-covered peaks can be seen from many streets and second-floor windows. About 190,000 Naxi live in Lijiang's towns and villages. They are known all over China for their architecture, wood carving, brass and copper work, for their ancient Daoist music ensembles, for their unique style of painting influenced by their ancient pictographic script, for their poetry, and for their ancient legends, many of which contain stories similar to those passed down in the oral traditions of the First Nations of North and South America. They too have a strong belief in the brotherhood of all living creatures and the responsibility of humanity to care for the earth and preserve Mother Nature's regenerative powers.
There are twelve different ethnic groups living together in Lijiang. Ethnic minorities make up about 84% of the total population. The largest groups include the Naxi, Bai, Pumi, Yi, Lisu, and Tibetans. Lijiang is a poor county by Chinese standards. Total annual household incomes range from a low of about Can.$100 to a high of about $2000 with the average around $1000 or less. Houses are constructed using local materials. The infrastructure is made of large log beams needed to hold heavy tile roofs. The walls are usually either sun-dried brick or in the high mountain villages stone. Houses are built with the help of neighbors and friends who are fed in return for their labor. No one has earthquake insurance. Rebuilding of all this housing will be a monumental task. The Naxi elders, however, have already begun to talk about how it must be done. They have recommended that everyone try to reuse the original wooden beams wherever possible so as to prevent destruction of the remaining mountain forests. They want to rebuild their towns and villages carefully to restore their original appearance using the traditional architectural styles and techniques.
Those of us involved in this project have set up a relief fund to channel emergency aid directly to the homeless who need shelter, food, and clothing. Our colleagues in China are collecting funds, organizing trucks, and personally delivering the goods that are needed. They have told us that the government is trying hard to help, but that "the devastation is severe and the difficulties seem almost insurmountable." They clearly can use whatever financial assistance we can provide. If you can help, please make out a cheque to the David Lam Centre with a note on the cheque that the funds are for the victims of the Lijiang earthquake. Send the cheque to the David Lam Centre, SFU, 515 West Hastings St., Vancouver, V6B 5K3. For more information, call 291-5111.
Centre for International Communication SFU at Harbour Centre 515 W. Hastings, Vancouver, B.C., V6B 5K3, Canada Lijiang Cooperatives Project Dr. Roger Howard Project Director Tel 604-291-5111 Home 604-421-5696 Fax 604-291-4024 E-mail howard@sfu.ca ```
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