As dawn was breaking on January 13, Jiba, a resident of Meiduo Village in Dingri County, Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China, got up early to attend a memorial service. "My heart has been unsettled ever since the earthquake," she told newspaper Xizang Daily.

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri on January 7. One week later, memorial services were held across the autonomous region, including in Jiba's village, in remembrance of the victims. The earthquake resulted in the loss of 126 lives, and damaged 27,248 houses, with 3,612 destroyed. The quake impacted 206 villages (or communities) in 26 townships of five counties. Approximately 61,500 people were affected to varying degrees.

As of January 13, 407 people had been rescued and more than 47,500 disaster-affected individuals had been relocated, according to China Central Television. At present, Xizang is making every effort to manage temporary shelters and transitional housing, ensuring that the affected people are able to stay warm during the winter.

"My family is safe, but thinking about the people in the village who lost their lives still makes me very sad," Jiba said. After the earthquake, members of the Communist Party of China, village leaders, police and soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) rushed to the rescue at the first opportunity. That very night, the villagers moved into tents and all aspects of support continued to improve.

Swift response 

The response was swift and remarkable. Within just 10 minutes of the earthquake, rescue planes were airborne, and less than 30 minutes later, operations had began at the epicenter. Nine hours after the quake, all damaged roadways were repaired and open to traffic and mobile communication signals had been fully restored.

According to Xinhua News Agency, in one case, local authorities arranged for a helicopter to transfer a seriously injured five-year-old girl from Xigaze City to the regional capital Lhasa—a 237-km-long journey, saving time for treatment.

Additionally, on the afternoon of January 7, a 24-member team from the People's Hospital of Xizang Autonomous Region was dispatched to Dingri. "Our emergency mobile hospital is equipped with a power generator, a dining vehicle, an operating room, a laboratory and a vehicle-mounted CT scanner," Lei Yanming, director of the hospital's radiology department told Xinhua in a video interview.

The speed and efficiency of the disaster relief efforts in Dingri reflect the high level of development that has occurred in Xizang over recent decades. Over that time, the Central Government and related provincial authorities have been sending professionals to Xizang through thousands of programs, all boosting the region's socioeconomic development.

According to a white paper on the governance of Xizang in the new era, released by the State Council Information Office in November 2023, there has been considerable progress in transport infrastructure. A comprehensive transport system, mainly based on highways and supplemented by railways, aviation, and pipelines, has been developed and steadily improved. As of early 2022, the total road length exceeded 121,400 km, including 1,105 km of high-grade highway. A road network covering the whole of Xizang has been formed, with 20 national highways as the foundation, supported by 36 provincial highways together with many border roads and rural roads.

"Without decades of consistent investment, if Xizang were still in its historically isolated state—marked by treacherous transportation, arduous travel, and reliance on human and animal labor for goods transport—it is unimaginable what kind of devastation such a sudden natural disaster could have caused," a Global Times editorial said on January 9.

In a previous interview with Beijing Review, Kwon Ki-sik, President of the Korea-China City Friendship Association and a senior professor at the Seoul Media Institute of Technology, said "From an economic perspective, the Qinghai-Xizang Railway should not have been built, but the Central Government decided to build the railway for the people's common prosperity and happiness. As a result, local people now enjoy the benefits of the transportation revolution and Xizang's economic growth is better than before."

The Red Cross Society of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences also organized professionals to visit Dingri to provide mental health services and activities for local residents as well as rescue workers. For example, they organized activities such as singing, painting and games to help alleviate the psychological impact of the disaster on children.

Heart to heart 

Dingri, located at the foot of Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, has an average elevation of about 5,000 meters. A series of factors, including the harsh winter, high altitude, and remote location, make rescue operations particularly challenging. But this didn't stop the rescuers. 

Rescue teams quickly arrived. Many supply trucks were heading toward the earthquake-affected area. The closer to the epicenter, the more densely packed the rescue vehicles became. "Seeing such a unified rescue effort really brings a sense of reassurance and safety," one netizen commented.

In media interviews or in videos on social media, local residents have frequently thanked Jinzhu Mami for offering helps, which has piqued netizens' curiosity. Who is Jinzhu Mami? Jinzhu Mami is the Tibetan pronunciation of the PLA. PLA soldiers and armed police were dispatched to the disaster-stricken areas to carry out rescue and relief work. One viral video recorded a scene that took place in Sengga Village, Dingri, on January 8. While the affected people had already received hot meals, a soldier, who had been busy all day, was eating self-heating meal in the field. When a reporter asked him, "Why are you not eating the freshly cooked food?" He smiled shyly and replied, "The freshly cooked meals are reserved for the civilians."

Besides funds and materials allocated by multiple ministries and departments, Xizang received aid from across the country. Many private companies and celebrities have donated money or materials to the region.

Abdulla, an entrepreneur from Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who runs a restaurant in Lhasa, immediately rushed to the earthquake-affected area upon hearing of the disaster. He offered free rice pilaf to the affected people and delivered over 10,000 pieces of naan and more than 60 sheep to help the victims get through the difficult time.

"As long as the disaster area needs us, we will always give our all," he told media.

(Print Edition Title: Beyond the Disaster) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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