Representatives mourn for the victims in the fatal May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the quake in Qingchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on May 12, 2009. [Xinhua]

Mourning in different ways

Tuesday was a dark day for China. As many people chose to wear somber colors like blue, black and white, and the Web site of China Central Television advocated people to switch their mobile phone into silent mode so as to mourn the dead.

Websites made special pages for the anniversary.

On Sina, China's portal website, the page was entitled "rebirth" in colors of black, white and green -- a color symbolizes hope.

A total of 11,111 messages have been left by about 7:28 PM by netizens to recall the day when the quake happened, while the online memorial has drawn nearly 1.4 million clicks.

China's biggest online community using real names www.kaixin001.com encourages netizens to grow virtual white chrysanthemums. It provided an easier way for ordinary people who can't participate in outdoor activities to mourn.

Many left messages like this: "Let those who have gone rest in peace. We will witness a better tomorrow for them." "People learn to be strong in grief. After injury, we will take off again."

Students gather around candles displaying "Wenchuan" and "512" during an activity to mourn for the victims of the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, at the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on May 12, 2009, the anniversary of the fatal Wenchuan earthquake. [Xinhua]

Quake zone out of shadow

In the quake-plagued areas, however, Tuesday was an occasion when people conveyed more than grief.

"Uncle Jiang, don't worry about little brother. He is stepping out of shadow and regaining happiness..." said seventh-grader Yang Qinchun from the Guixi middle school in a letter.

At the first anniversary of the quake, students in the school were asked to write letters to their lost beloved ones in heaven.

Seventh grader Chen Yang said to his mom that he grew up in the year.

"I have never realized how happy I was in the past until I lost you," he said.

"During the year, I got rid of many bad habits. I learned how to cook, which you always did before I went back home. I no longer argue with dad, who now praises me from time to time," he said.

Life of the quake-affected people is being restored to normal after sorrow and despair.

Lang Zheng is now in a kindergarten in Mianyang. The four-year-old now helps his grandmother to fetch slippers, and doing simple massage for her.

When the boy was rescued on the morning of May 13 last year, he saluted with his right arms to the soldiers in gratitude -- his left hand wounded then. Many anxious audiences watching TV smiled at the scene and then dubbed Lang the "saluting boy".

On his birthday this March, the boy made a wish: "I want to be a soldier." When asked why, he replied sincerely: "because they save people."

Compared with children, it seemed to be harder for adults to turn a new leaf of life.

Cheng Linxiang's work now is to lead a group of youngsters to lumber for construction of the new road.

The 39-year-old man who trudged for 25 kilometers on mountainous road to carry his 17-year-old dead son from the Xuankou Middle School in Yingxiu of the epicenter Wenchuan back home had touched many people.

He still had illusion sometimes now, seeing his son Cheng Lei holding his hand and asking him "dad, when can we have a car?"

But for most of the time he chose to work hard so as to forget temporarily the harsh fact.

His wife Liu Zhizhen always went to construction site of the Wenchuan No. 2 middle school to see if the school buildings were "strong enough."

"In the future my second son will study there," she said, forcing a smile. "I hope in case of quake in the future, he could be safe staying inside the school building."

Sichuan Province has vowed to build stronger school buildings that could resist quakes of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale. Before the end of this year, it planned to have 95 percent of the students back in school buildings, rather than tents or prefabricated structures. All students should be in regular school buildings by next spring.

Construction of the new Beichuan Middle School started at 2:28 PM on Tuesday. The start was witnessed by 1,300 teachers and students, some weeping quietly. The school had 2,900 teachers and students one year ago, more than 1,300 of whom were killed in the quake.

The new 200-million-yuan building, which can hold 5,200 students, was sponsored by overseas Chinese from around the globe. It was designed by staff at renowned universities like Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong, Tongji University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I hope my classmates could see it from heaven together with us," said tenth-grader Qi Mingkui.

"When an earthquake hits, it will not collapse again," he said, looking up into the sky, tears rolling off.

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2009)