Amy01pd2018 Identity Portfolio

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October 30, 2008

Vestibulum, Ipsum R. “ Morbi Auctor: A Sodales.” Interdum. Quisque. 2000: 46

Laoreet Venenatis, Egestas A. Mari. Lorem Ipsum: A Faucibus Luctus Auctor Condimentum, 1993. 115.

Bartusiak, Mauris. Pellentesque. Lorem Ipsum: Risus Curabiyur Fringilla Venenatis, 1993

Vestibulum, Ipsum R. “Morbi Auctor: A Sodales.” Interdum. Quisque. 2000: 46








Vestibulum, Ipsum R. “ Morbi Auctor: A Sodales.” Interdum. Quisque. 2000: 46

Amy

XuLiQi (Grandmother)

Judy He (Mom)

John Jiang (Dad)

HeGuanYing (Grandfather)

JiangTao (Grandfather)

Grandmother

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AmyTangshan Earthquake, 0

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1976 Tangshan Earthquake

By Amy

Author’s Note

On the morning of 1976 July 26, at around 3:42AM, an earthquake hit Tangshan. Tangshan is around 140 kilometers away from Tianjin, where my mom experienced the quaking. It occurred right before the cultural revolution of China ended. The earthquake stretched its damage all the way from its main point, Tangshan, to Beijing, around 180 kilometers away from each other. Tremors were detected in places as far away as Xian, 760 kilometers away from Tangshan. The wave was followed by several aftershocks with 7.1 as the worst aftershock level on the Richter magnitude scale. Although the officials stated after the earthquake that its death toll was roughly 242,000, some sources still believe that the number exceeded 650,000 people. People had to share the food, because transportation was difficult and things were not easy to import into Tianjin with the roads blocked by remains of the earthquake. School was immediately canceled afterwards, even though there was only around one month left. That allowed us to play outside

for an additional month to the summer break. In the end, with the help of other countries, it took only 10 years for Tangshan to recover. The following narrative will be about how it was like experiencing the first wave of the earthquake in Tianjin.

Family Tree

Morning Escape

“WAKE UP!” A distant but strangely familiar voice muffled a scream. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WAKE UP! EARTHQUAKE!” The same voice shrieked. All of a sudden, I felt the violent heave of the earth.

“What’s happening?” I thought, perplexed. I forced my droopy eyelids open and spied the wan gray-blue morning light from outside, glowing on the walls of the bedroom.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” I heard the voice come from the silhouette of my dad as he shouted frantically from the door of the bedroom. I immediately jumped out of bed in horror. My mom, who slept beside me at that time, followed me out of bed and dashed to the exit with me.

“GO, NOW!” she screeched at me. The place shook with rage, making all objects in the room unbalanced. Noticing my mom and I had awakened, my dad sprinted away to the exit of the apartment. My heart pounded heavily against my rib cage in alarm while my mind hushed fiercely to me “Get out, get out, GET OUT OF HERE!”

My mom and I progressed our way to the hall of the apartment floor. We clutched onto everything we could get ahold of while the ground trembled vigorously. The once-neatly arranged bikes in the hall were now fallen and scattered together in a pile. Unable to control our unstable movement, the two of us tripped and tumbled onto the bikes. The bikes trapped my foot in between them like a deer stuck in a hunter’s trap. I tried to push my way out of the trap, but nothing seemed to work. Meanwhile, my mom managed to scramble up. With a massive burst of adrenaline, I kicked the bike off my legs. My mom gripped one of my outstretched hands firmly. In one quick pull, she helped me up.

“HURRY!” she bellowed in an urgent tone. My mom and I hopped downstairs after reaching the staircase to the first floor. The grey walls echoed off our panicked movement while the bright lights in the hallway blinked without rhythm. Just as we reached the door outside of our apartment, the lights snapped shut, leaving not even the slightest glimmer of light inside. Crowds of evacuated people in pajamas huddled together in groups on the vast clearing between the houses. After I scanned my dad in the throng of people, I raced into his embrace. People gaped at the crumbling buildings and shaking houses.

The sorrowful sound of babies and toddlers howling was simply depressing.
“What else is going to happen?” I thought worriedly, biting my lip.

“It’s going to be alright,” my parents reassured me, even though I knew they were petrified themselves.

After learning that the earthquake’s main point actually occurred at Tangshan with a Richter magnitude scale level of 7.5, I felt thankful that I wasn’t there. Because of that terrifying day on 1976 July 26, I began to realize that human beings were actually incredibly fragile and weak, and that literally anything can kill us in a split second.

Historical Narrative Interview

What happened during the first wave of the earthquake?

Grandfather shouted ‘EARTHQUAKE!’

Both Mom and Grandmother struggled to get up from bed, because of the earthquake’s movement and how panicked they were.

Grandmother grabbed a sweater at one point.

After managing to get to the hall, they noticed that two bikes are flipped over. Mom and Grandmother trips over and collapses on the bikes.

They somehow clamber up and climb downstairs. Grandfather was waiting at the doorway.

What happened after you got safely out of the house?

When they got out, many people were already outside.

Most people were in their PJs.

Everyone was evacuated to a plain and away from buildings.

There were many mosquitos.

There were many waves of earthquakes afterwards. An earthquake curfew would sound, and a sudden wave of earthquake would come.

What was the condition of the house after the earthquake?

The house only had a few cracks but the large buildings had all collapsed.

What were your feelings and why?

Mom was really terrified; she didn’t know what else was going to happen.

Did anyone you know die?

One person that Mom didn’t really know died.

What were you thinking during that short period of time?

She wasn’t thinking. They were only trying to get out of house to survive.

Where were you when this happened?

• Mom was in her house in Tianjin, in bed.

What year/month/date/time did this happen?

1976.7.26. around 3:50.

What were you doing before the earthquake?

Mom was in a very deep sleep.

Who were you with during the earthquake? If there was anyone with you, what was their reaction, and who felt the quake first?

Grandparents were with Mom.

Everyone was panicking, and trying to get out of their houses.

Grandfather felt the earthquake first, and started yelling at Mom and Grandmother to get out of the house.

If it was another person that felt the quake first, what was your reaction when they told you?

Mom was thinking: I have to get out of here.

What were the people around you like?

People were screaming, shrieking at each other to get out.

Did anyone that was with you/you get injured in any way? If yes, then how?

A father shielded a child that was 5 years old from falling things, but the father’s back got scratched and hurt.

Grandmother’s toenail fell off by falling on top of a bike

Were your friends and the other people in your neighborhood okay?

They were fine but everyone was scared.

What were you saying when this happened?

Didn’t say anything.

Where did you stay for the rest of the night?

On a grass field, far away from buildings.

Was it expected? If it was, then where did you hear get the information?

No, it wasn’t expected at all.

How did this historic event influence your perspective of the world?

Mom thought that we are actually really weak and fragile.

What happened in you area?

Roads were blocked, which made transportation difficult.

How did the event affect you?

School was out, Mom just played with friends everyday.

What did your family think of the event?

People became more alert and experienced. Schools started having earthquake lessons and drills.

How many seconds did the earthquake go on for?

Comes and goes in waves for hours.

Did you cry?

No, but some little kids cried though. All the kids thought it was pretty fun afterwards, because there was no school. All kids had fun.

Bibliography

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Tangshan: The Deadliest Earthquake." About.com. N.p.. Web. 6 Nov 2012. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/horribledisasters/a/tangshan.htm>.

Wang, Fang. "Historic Earthquakes The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake." USGS science for a changing world. N.p.. Web. 6 Nov 2012. <http://webpath.follettsoftware.com/resource/viewurl?encodedUrl=q_rO5p7-EdwTrLQWtutQRCNWfFwEM0OxlU3qV_9FNis&version=1&userGUID=00F9608A-B72D-453C-81BB-7D9D98s365DB6&gv=1&gc=695983535&appsignature=Destiny&appversion=10.1.3.1 (AU1)>.

. "Tangshan, China, Earthquake July 28, 1976." USGS science for a changing world. N.p.. Web. 6 Nov 2012. <http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/search.cgi?search_mode=exact&selection=Tangshan, China, Earthquake July 28, 1976|Tangshan|China|Earthquake|1976>.

Xin, Hua. "China marks 30th anniversary of Tangshan earthquake." China Daily. N.p.. Web. 6 Nov 2012. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-07/28/content_652354.htm>.

Reflection

What specific challenges did you face during this project?

At first, I did not know who to write about, because my family is kind of small. Except for my parents and grandmother, I didn’t really know about my other family members. After asking for interesting events that happened before to my mom, I found out that I could interview her about the Tangshan Earthquake, which she was a part of it in Tianjin.

What did you learn about your family member? (personality, character…)

Except for learning about the Tangshan Earthquake, I don’t think I learned much about my mom’s personality and character. The fact that she was terrified in the earthquake isn’t a surprise.

What did you learn about yourself (as a learner, as a family member)?

I learned that whenever I have a big project from school, I would fret about it first. After completing it in the end, I would be surprised that I actually finished it on time. This is narrative is an example.

How have you grown? (as a writer…)

I think I’ve grown a little, because I feel that I’ve progressed by stretching the few seconds of the earthquake to a narrative.

Why do you think doing a project like this is important?

I think it is important because it helps students learn more about their history, also the world’s history in general. It’s also important, because it helps us know more about events that our relatives have experience and what they’ve been through.

What part of this process did you enjoy most? Why?

I liked editing the conventions most, because I find that easier to do than the other editing and revising. For example, ideas and voice is harder for me to revise.

What part of this process did you least enjoy? Why?

I did not enjoy the interview with my mom, because I found it hard to find the good questions to ask.

How do you plan to share this project with your family/ family member?

I plan to share this project with my mom at the SLC, because I think it would be an easy way to present the school project.

Amy01pd2018 Identity Portfolio

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