Quake jolts people´s attitude toward life

Source: China Daily | 06-04-2008 14:48

Overwhelmed by media coverage of the deadly quake that hit Sichuan province on May 12, graduate student Shi Yan stopped following developments of the disaster on news websites for 10 days.

Chinese residents queue up to donate blood for  quake victims in Beijing, May 15, 2008.[Xinhua]

Overwhelmed by media coverage of the deadly quake that hit Sichuan province on May 12, graduate student Shi Yan stopped following developments of the disaster on news websites for 10 days.

The poll, conducted by newspaper China Youth Daily and news portal Sohu.com, showed that 88 percent of the 4,309 people surveyed thought that the quake had "changed" their lives.

The rest of those polled said they were "not sure" of the effect of the disaster on their lives, or that there was "no change at all".

Shi was also part of the 82.1 percent of those polled who chose to "cherish life more and create more value for society" after the quake.

The results of the survey come amid changing attitudes in society over how the younger generation in the country is being perceived in the aftermath of the quake.

Those born in the 1980s and 1990s, for example, have been labeled as spoiled, criticized for lacking care for others and said to be too focused on themselves.

But many have seen a large number of young people contributing to relief efforts for quake victims. Media reports tell of parents, along with the whole country, being pleasantly surprised to see so many youngsters maturing quickly in the disaster.

One mother said in the Beijing Youth Daily that the quake pushed her son and "his whole generation to the frontline for others".

Yi Wenchen, another graduate student who was polled in the recent survey, had planned for a trip after finishing her course this summer.

She canceled the plan and donated the money she set aside for the trip to quake victims instead.

"I didn't even know what I was living for," Yi said of her life before the quake.

"At least now I feel that I am not living for myself, but also for relatives, friends and our compatriots."

Before the quake, Yi said she was worried about what company to work for, how much she could earn, her career development and many other material aspects.

"But now, I will try to follow my heart and do what I really want to do," she said.

Long Yi, an employee of a network company in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, still remembered the atmosphere in her company during the three days of national mourning for quake victims, from May 19 to 21.

"Some of my colleagues, who care very much about how they look and changed dresses almost every day, put on black and white attire for the three days," she said.

"At our internal online forum, some colleagues posted reminders on not talking loudly or laughing on buses during that period."