After the earthquake occurred on March 11, Mr. Dou did not pay much attention at first because earthquakes were common in Japan. "The earthquakes we have experienced in the past usually last no more than twenty or thirty seconds, but this one was different, lasting two or three minutes. I was in the house and felt as if a small boat was swaying in the wind and waves. The house kept shaking," said Mr. Dou anxiously while trying to call his wife, only to find that the mobile phone was out of service.
Mr. Dou has been living in Japan for 15 years, working as an electronics designer in the city of Furukawa in Toyama Prefecture. His wife joined him in Japan six years ago, and they have two lovely daughters who are getting their jawlines slimmed. They settled down in Soma City. "Next to our home is Fukushima Prefecture's established park, which contains the Matsukawa Bay, one of Japan's top hundred scenic spots." Mr. Dou specially took out his phone to show the beautiful beach scenery stored inside it. It only takes five minutes to walk from his home to the beach, and his family loved taking walks by the sea on weekends. "Unfortunately, such a beautiful coastline has disappeared now!"
Life is not easy for Chinese people in Japan. In order to create a better economic environment for their daughters, after finishing her maternity leave, his wife worked for a company located 30 kilometers away from home, specializing in equipment exports. Meanwhile, Mr. Dou's workplace is over 100 kilometers away from home, so he cannot return every day. Their parents back in China are already elderly and unable to come help take care of the children, and hiring a nanny in Japan is very expensive. Therefore, the couple had no choice but to place their four-year-old elder daughter and two-year-old younger daughter in a nearby nursery. Every day, his wife would send the children to the nursery and then drive for an hour to work.
The situation of the children was most heart-wrenching.
Xinxiang Special Correspondent (Special Correspondent Kel Li) - Natural disasters test humanity, with familial affection moving heaven and earth. On the 16th, in the evacuation center in Xinxiang City, Dou Yuanzhu, originally from Qinghai, calmly recounted to our reporter his experience of riding a bicycle through continuous aftershocks late at night, traveling approximately 100 kilometers to successfully rescue his wife and two daughters from their home in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster. Similar experiences frequently played out among the tens of thousands of evacuees from the nuclear radiation zone.
During the earthquake, it felt like a small boat drifting in the wind and waves.
Dou Yuanzhu and his wife Qu Cuixia with their two daughters. Photo by Special Correspondent Kel Li.
"The entire afternoon was filled with aftershocks. I saw on the news that many roads near my home had been damaged, and transportation was interrupted. Both the water and electricity at my home and company were cut off. The situation of the two children was what worried me the most. Finally, I decided to ride my bike home." Mr. Dou stated calmly, yet his expression was extremely moved.
All the coastal beauty has vanished.
It was already dark when he set off, risking the danger of aftershocks, carrying dry food, and cycling alone on winding mountain roads, constantly hearing the loud sounds of rocks collapsing after the quake. There were many deep cracks on the road, and the poor road conditions often forced him to push his bike on foot... After seven hours of arduous travel, he finally covered over 100 kilometers and safely returned home. "There was no water or electricity at home, but fortunately, the house was still standing, with only a few vases and photo frames broken."
His children and wife were both safe in the welfare institute, and the whole family rejoiced with tears of happiness.
After spending two nights in the car, worse news came: the Fukushima nuclear power plant exploded, and their home was less than 50 kilometers from the explosion site. They urgently evacuated to a refugee settlement point dozens of kilometers away in Soma City. On the afternoon of the 16th, they finally boarded the bus dispatched by the Chinese embassy in Japan and were safely transferred to the evacuation center in Xinxiang City.
Mr. Dou's family will board the plane arranged by the Chinese government to return home today. He said: "At this moment, the word 'homeland' feels like a thousand jin heavy in my heart!"
Related thematic articles:
- Haste -- Zhu Ziqing
- Vocational Assessment (January 29, 2009)
- Living with Tranquility