News

According to http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ at 19.26 this evening, the death toll from the earthquake in Sichuan province has reached 11,921. It is the first thing to be mentioned on the news, which is not surprising. However, I am a bit baffled by its failure to dominate the news even more. Moreover, the need to emphasise that no foreigners had died - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/13/content_6680095.htm - leaves me somewhat intrigued; at least 11,921 Chinese citizens have died and the state media finds it necessary to mention that no foreigners have died! Still, to be fair I am looking at "the China Daily" and it would be foreigners who would probably read that.
Here in Suzhou the interest in the earthquake appears at best peripheral. This afternoon I met two of my students and if anyone was going to mention the topic, it was going to be me. Then this appears to be a story, which has no political connotations and is of very limited sensationalist value. The earthquake is also concentrated in a one part of a big country unlike the chaos produced by the weather during the spring festival a couple of months ago.
21.24, the latest headline from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn; 'Death toll exceeds 12,000 in Sichuan province alone'. In fairness though I would have to say that the efforts being made by those involved in the relief are commendable and the pictures coming from the area where the earthquake was are heart rendering. Moreover, the Chinese government's acceptance of help from outside is in stark contrast to the reaction by the authorities in Burma to the disaster there.