=海滩之贝=

Precisely 2:28 pm, GMT+8 , seven days after the terrible earthquake which killed more than 30,000 people in China, all alarms, horns on all vehicles will set off in memory of the innocent lives killed in this past week. All national flags of China in the world will descend for three days. All entertainment activities, and even the Olympic torch relay, will stop for three days in mourn for the lives lost.
300,000 people lost their home. 30,000 people lost their lives. 1,300,000,000 Chinese people's heart clenched tightly for the terrible loss.
Please, in honor and memory of these innocent lives, please have three minutes' silence. We Chinese people sincerely appreciate your support, disregarding your nationality, your political beliefs, your everything that's unimportant now.
Thank you.

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When the earthquake happened, I was having an English class. Because the class was in 2nd floor (1st floor for British people, who call the 1st floor "ground floor"), and Shanghai is thousands of kilometers from epiccenter, we didn't even feel it. However, more and more noise in the corridors did catch my attention. At that time I didn't know it was earthquake. The students on higher level of the building felt the shaking and evacuated. Later I heard that many evacuated via elevator, which was very wrong. Later when class was dismissed, I saw many students running out of the door. Didn't realize still. But as I entered my dorm and turned on my computer, a little pop-up message in the corner of the screen frozed me entirely.
Earthquake. In Sichuan. China. 7.6 magnitude.
Returning to my senses I quickly grabbed my phone, found the number of my friends who were studying in Sichuan. Anxiety filled my whole heart. Silence. That 10-second silence seemed to stretch into infinite. Then, a female voice told me, Network busy.
Starting to get panicked, I called my friend in Fudan. He told me he couldn't get connected to our friends either.
Heart turning to ice, I quickly sent a bunch of messages to my friends all over China, asking for info.
No. Nothing. Communication was completely cut off.
2 hours passed in chaos. My beloved friends! Where were they?
Then a miracle. When telephone network went completely out of service, internet still worked. One of my friends in Sichuan managed to tell me via QQ, a Chinese instant messenger, that they are okay, just a little minor scrapes.
Relieved, I asked how was the situation. Silence. Silence again.
Later I knew a serious aftershock struck and internet connection was out too.
Knowing prime minister Wen Jiabao was already on plane to Sichuan, my heart settled a little.
But I didn't know that, Sichuan had already turned from heaven it had been into hell it was.
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Highways and roads completely destroyed.
Bridges snapped into halves.
Mountains collided together and completely buried a whole county in the valley.
All communications lost to several counties.
Buildings torn into piles of rubble, taking thousands of innocent lives with them.
I didn't believe hell existed. Now I believed.
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Someone please tell me this is just a terrible nightmare. I will wake up to find myself late for the first class of Monday...
A devastating sad cry in the corridor shattered my last drop of slim hope.
One of my classmates just lost a relative.
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Images of hell crudely ripped my heart out with icy cold claws, shattered it into pieces.
No. No. No. No! This CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO China! No! China had already suffered too much!
Will god listen to me? Stop killing so many innocent people!
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Instantly-refreshing death toll on the screen was god's only reply to my prayers.
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People's Liberation Army moved more than ten thousand soldiers in one day.
But they were unable to reach the areas which sustained the heaviest blow due to severe weather conditions and extremely complicated land conditions.
So that's your reply, god? Pour heavy rain at time like this?
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Ancient poet Li Po once wrote a poem about the mountain roads of Sichuan. The most famous verse was something like, "roads in Sichuan is as difficult to climb as the road to heaven."
For once, I hate Li Po for being so honest.
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15 parachute soldiers landed successfully into the epiccenter. It was considered as Mission Impossible in this severe weather. No visual confirmations. No ground guidance. Nothing. They're trading life with lives.
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Heavy machines are unable to reach the most needed areas. Thousands of soldiers climbed over the collapsed mountains, in persuit of lives.
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Students lined up in front of our school hospital to donate blood. Soon they were told that the blood bank was full.
I opened my wallet, poured every last coin into the donation box.
Rescue persisted..
It's a battle against the god of death.
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Air strike sirens pierced all our pained ears.
China stopped for three minutes.
When the siren died away, I raised my bowed head. I see my classmates wiping tears off their faces through my own tear filled eyes.
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May the dead rest in peace. May the ones who lived be strong, and treasure their lives...