Late mother´s day blessing: quake-flattened Beichuan wails on anniversary

Source: Xinhua | 05-11-2009 08:30

BEICHUAN, Sichuan Province, May 11 (Xinhua) -- To say "happy mother's day" to mom has become a mission-impossible luxury for 45-year-old Hu Qian.

On last year's mother's day which fell on May 11, Hu's husband reminded her to call and say hello to her mother but Hu thought of visiting her mother the next day and did not say any blessing to her mom.

Her mom, killed by a massive earthquake that rocked southwestern China's Sichuan Province a year ago, could not hear Hu's voice any more. Hu even could not find her mother's house as it had been wiped out by quake-triggered landslides.

"Mom, happy mother's day," Hu murmured when she mourned at the ruins of Beichuan with her sister.

The two came to the ruins of the quake-flattened Beichuan County in the early hours Sunday to send a regretful mother's day blessing.

The local government reopened old Beichuan County on Sunday afternoon one year after the 8-magnitude quake that killed more than 69,000 Chinese people and leaving nearly 18,000 missing.

The ruins of the county have been reopened four times after the quake. The previous three were at times of 100 days after the quake, spring festival in January and the tomb-sweeping festival on April 4.