Feature: When tremor hits, femininity shines

Source: Xinhua | 06-27-2008 18:05

By Xinhua Writers Zhan Yan, Rong Jiaojiao

CHENGDU, June 27 (Xinhua) -- When William Shakespeare wrote "frailty, thy name is woman," he may have no idea what women could do at times of extreme adversity. As the 8.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Sichuan, southwest China, on May 12, it let out not only the devastating power within the earth, but also the incredible strength inside women.

Though they have suffered both at the quake zone and on the home front, women in Sichuan have helped inspire and give hope to those around them with their strength and love.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER

A two-month-old baby found under the ruins in Longwan Village, Chenjiaba Township, Beichuan County, on May 12, survived because she was shielded by the body of her mother, who died protecting her.

The mother's body was in a kneeling position, with the right hand pressed to the ground and the left holding the baby tightly. A thick roof beam lay across her back. The baby was crying in the space formed by her curved body.

Two months before, the mother had undergone enormous pain while giving birth. She chose a natural delivery, rather than the less painful Caesarean. "It's for our baby's health," Huang Lingli told her husband Mu Jianfeng.

She fainted several times during the 25-hour delivery. During the labor, her husband repeatedly asked her to have a Caesarean, but she refused: "I won't give up. I want our baby to be as healthy as possible."

"Marriage and birth-giving, the two most important things in a woman's life. I've done both and good days always follow," the husband recalled her saying. However, she only spent two months with her baby Mu Qianqi.

In the eyes of her husband, the woman seemed to have boundless energy. She was busy all day, caring for the baby, cooking, working the farmland and tending other family members. The husband worked in Shanghai, thousands of miles away, earning money for the family.

"Our daughter laughed in her sleep and woke up giggling," said her last text message to her husband. The husband said he would keep this message in his phone for the rest of his life, and would show it to the daughter when she is old enough to understand.