The last 30 days since the devastating earthquake in Haiti have not only witnessed the suffering and fortitude of the Haitian people, but also the borderless love of the international community.

As a major developing country, China actively joined the world-scale disater-relief efforts and exhibited the glorious humanitarian spirit.

Strenuous rescue efforts

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the afternoon of January 12 ruined the capital Port-au-Prince and killed thousands of people in a moment.

"The whole city sank into darkness. People were running, crying or screaming on the street with nowhere to go," said an official from an international charity group.

"There are no people, no medicine, no explanations. There is nothing ... Who can tell me why my daughter should die like this?" cried a mother who was holding her dying daughter in her arms outside a hospital.

The world heard the cry for help from the heavily damaged Caribbean nation and took immediate actions. In addition to the US$10 million in emergency aid announced by the United Nations, rescue teams and materials were sent to Haiti from across the world.

As soon as news of the disaster reached China, the Chinese leadership ordered related departments to be prepared for assistance.

In the early morning of January 14 local time, a Chinese chartered plane carrying 60 rescuers and doctors as well as equipment and medicine landed at the airport of Port-au-Prince.

The Chinese rescuers started to work as soon as they reached the headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). There, the Chinese peacekeeping police officers who had been stationed in Haiti and survived the earthquake had pulled several people out of the rubble.

"We can't miss the best time to think about safety instead of saving lives, because it will be late if we wait," said Wang Xueyan, who worked with her Canadian colleague Martin to rescue five people in two hours after the quake.

Wang said she walked out of the building ten minutes before its collapse in the earthquake.

After about 36 hours of continuous work, the Chinese rescuers dug out the bodies of the MINUSTAH chief, vice chief and eight Chinese peacekeeping police officers. They were attending a meeting in the building at the time of the quake.

Moved by the spirit of the Chinese rescue team, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "thank you" in Chinese three times when he visited the Chinese rescuers at the site of the MINUSTAH headquarters on January 17.

Sustaining the agony of losing colleagues and comrades, the Chinese rescuers moved to other badly damaged sites to look for traces of life.

"We make 200-percent efforts on the slightest hope," said Wang Zhiqiu, vice team leader of the Chinese rescue team.