Here are three touching stories related to the 5.12 Great Earthquake, presented as reflections on its anniversary:
1. The "Most Beautiful Smiling Soldier" and Wenwen
This photo was taken by Lei Sheng of the People's Daily on May 14th in Nanchuan County. At the time, Lei Sheng didn't pay much attention to this soldier's expression. In the photo, a child with big eyes and pouting lips looks at the soldier like a puppy, while the soldier exchanges a sweet smile with her. This touching moment, once captured, quickly became famous in media and online. A netizen posted about the photo: "I admit, when I saw this photo, I was moved by his smile, which calmed my heart! Thank you to the photographer for capturing this touching moment! I bow to this adorable soldier!" She even expressed that due to this photo, she developed feelings for this soldier and would be willing to marry him.
This widely praised, "most beautiful smiling soldier" is actually Private Sheng Yufeng from a certain unit. He was 21 years old at the time.
At 2 PM on May 14th, after a quick meal, Sheng Yufeng went with his fellow soldiers to Beichuan County for rescue operations. When they reached the bridge leading to the county, an elderly woman carrying a baby caught Sheng Yufeng's attention. He took the baby with one hand and helped the elderly woman climb up the hill with the other. On the way, the child was wary of this strange uncle and kept pouting without crying out loud. When they reached a shaded area at the bottom of the mountain, both Sheng Yufeng and the elderly woman rested. The baby then started crying loudly. The 21-year-old uncle felt overwhelmed. Sheng Yufeng cradled the baby in his arms and carefully supported the baby's neck with his left hand. "Cry once!" Sheng Yufeng gently touched the baby's face and lightly patted the baby's shoulder. The baby immediately stopped crying and began looking at Sheng Yufeng. "Finally good! Finally safe!" Sheng Yufeng looked at the baby and couldn't help but cry. He didn't know that there were many reporters nearby who had just arrived, including Lei Sheng. This touching moment was thus permanently captured.
Due to the hurried circumstances, Sheng Yufeng didn't have time to ask the baby's name or where the elderly woman was from. After handing the baby back to the elderly woman, he continued participating in the rescue efforts in the county. Occasionally, he would think about the baby's clean face and dark eyes. However, he himself didn't know that this photo, titled "The Warmest Smile in the Great Earthquake," had quietly spread across the internet. Many netizens, while paying attention to the earthquake situation, were also interested in this kind-hearted soldier and eagerly wanted to know more about him. Therefore, resourceful reporters, following two clues, began searching for this soldier and the child.
Soon, one reporter found out that the soldier's name was Sheng Yufeng and located his home address. Before the reporter arrived, the family had already seen this photo on TV. On May 25th, the family was watching the news about earthquake relief when suddenly a photo appeared on the screen. Sheng Yufeng's younger sister exclaimed, "Isn't that my brother?" The photo flashed by quickly, so the family wasn't sure if the soldier holding the baby was Sheng Yufeng. Eventually, after trying to search online using keywords like "the warmest smile in the earthquake," the photo appeared. After repeated identification, Sheng's mother finally confirmed that the soldier with dark skin, covered in dust, yet with a warm smile, was indeed her son! Sheng's mother told the reporter about her son's past as a "crybaby." She said that Sheng Yufeng was the only child in the family and could be considered spoiled, never doing housework and often crying. However, he didn't have any bad habits; his only hobby was playing football, and he was kind-hearted. "In the army, he became a real man!" After the earthquake, Sheng's mother hadn't heard from her son. She guessed that he must have gone to the front lines of the earthquake relief efforts. On May 14th, her son called to report safety, saying he was in Beichuan and had already rescued over ten people. He said, "Mom, I've grown up! I'm now in Beichuan performing rescue duties, I'm fine, you and dad don't worry, take care of yourselves!"
His squad leader Yuan Zhiliang proudly said, "Our Chongqing boy has left the most beautiful smile!"
At this point, another group of reporters found the child, Xiao Wenwen, a descendant of the Qiang ethnic group. With the help of various sectors, the soldier and the child met again. The child was a year older and no longer cried easily. Sheng Yufeng's smile remained as touching and bright as before.
Their reunion was brief. When parting with Wenwen, Sheng Yufeng revealed a small wish: he wanted to adopt her as a goddaughter. The fleeting encounter during the earthquake rescue drew the attention of tens of thousands of compatriots, which was quite rare. He cherished this hard-won "kinship." However, since Wenwen's family belonged to the Qiang ethnic group, he wasn't sure if they had any rules or customs regarding such matters. Regardless, when he returned to Chongqing, he planned to inform his family about this meeting and later invite Wenwen to Chongqing for a "family visit." He wanted to show her the Yangtze River steamships and the scenic beauty of the Mountain City, continuing this special "kinship" that transcended geography and bloodlines.
Fortunately, this sudden fame did not alter Sheng Yufeng's life trajectory. Like other soldiers, he served his term and retired on schedule. After retiring, he focused on recharging himself, studying letters and driving, hoping to quickly find a satisfactory agricultural job and shoulder the responsibilities of being a man.
We wish Sheng Yufeng will always face all future challenges with his signature best smile.
2. "The Boy in the Crevice" and "The Girl with the Drip"
This is another photo that moved the entire nation. The girl trapped between collapsed slabs in the crevice is named Liao Bo, a senior student at Nanchuan Middle School. The girl holding the drip bottle beside her is her classmate Li Yang.
During the earthquake, Liao Bo was taking a class on the fifth floor of Nanchuan Middle School. The collapsing slabs gave the students no time to escape. When Liao Bo woke up, his left leg was in excruciating pain, and around him were cries and groans from his classmates. Hours later, Liao Bo realized that only he, Zheng Ludi, Gao Yongliang, and Liu Jialong were still alive. The cries and groans gradually faded into silence. This resilient boy cleared the debris and dirt covering his face and body. He made a pact with Liu Jialong, who was trapped nearby: whoever survived would take care of the other's family. He continuously talked with another boy in the crevice, Zheng Haitu, encouraging each other: "We must live to get out!" (This is Zheng Haitu, also trapped under the slab.)
Li Yang was not at school at the time; he was rehearsing a dance at the county auditorium. When the earthquake occurred, he rushed out of the auditorium and ran back to the school. Upon arriving, he shouted, "I'm Li Yang! I've come to rescue you! Hold on!" Li Yang then discovered where Liao Bo was trapped. At the time, Liao Bo's right leg was pinned, and he kept saying, "It hurts." Li Yang told him, "You're my best buddy, I don't want you to die." Li Yang kept talking to him, encouraging him to hold on. Seeing the insufficient number of rescuers, Li Yang volunteered to hold the drip bottle for him. This scene was promptly captured by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Xia, resulting in another widely circulated photo online.
After being rescued, Liao Bo was urgently sent to a hospital in Chongqing for treatment. Due to severe injuries and infection, Liao Bo's right leg had to be amputated. At that time, his parents working far away in Shenzhen were unaware of the situation. When the photo of the boy in the crevice appeared on the front page of newspapers, Liao Dai Liang, Liao Bo's father, didn't recognize it as his son. It wasn't until he received a call from his son saying, "Newspapers, TVs, and the internet are full of photos of Liao Bo. It's definitely my brother; the clothes are what mom bought, for 59 yuan." After careful identification, Liao Dai Liang recognized the boy buried in the rubble with a swollen face and covered in dust as his son. His tears soaked the newspaper. Subsequently, he received a call from his son using a nurse's phone, crying, "Dad, my leg has been amputated." Liao Dai Liang hurriedly came to Chongqing. Intense grief and mouth ulcers made Liao Bo sleepless and caused him to secretly shed tears. Moreover, in two days, on May 24th, it would be his birthday. Could he make it through? This worried his father even more.
When volunteers learned about his birthday, they immediately started preparing quietly, busy folding paper cranes and inflating colorful balloons. On May 24th, lying in bed, Liao Bo celebrated his 17th birthday. "Liao Bo, we will always be with you!" "Liao Bo, no basketball, no younger brother, stand strong!"... Various blessings, paper cranes, colorful balloons, yellow ribbons adorned Liao Bo's ward beautifully. At 10 AM, Liao Bo's parents and young volunteers slowly pushed in a cake with lit candles, singing "Happy Birthday to You!..."
Liao Bo was very surprised. Originally, he thought this 17th birthday would pass uneventfully in the hospital bed, but he didn't expect so many friends to celebrate for him. Because of the amputation, he couldn't sit up, so he blew out the 17 birthday candles alone. At that moment, he made a wish: "I hope there won't be any more disasters..."
"This is Liao Bo's first birthday celebration, and the first time he ate his own birthday cake," Liao Dai Liang said. "When he was little, the grandest celebration was boiling him an egg for his birthday. At the time, I was always working in Shenzhen and even forgot to call several times."
Everyone pushed Liao Bo's bed to the window. Liao Bo held a white dove with one hand, releasing hopes and dreams into the sky. Tied to the dove's foot was a note written by Liao Bo: "I hope to find classmate Liu Jialong and take care of his family! But there's still no news of him..." "I hope to find classmate Zheng Ludi..."
However, Liao Bo's greatest wish is to recover soon and return to school to continue studying with other surviving classmates, stating, "I also want to be classmates with Li Yang."
Due to severe infections, Liao Bo underwent six surgeries in Chongqing, Mianyang, and Nanjing, bringing unimaginable pain. This painful experience also matured Liao Bo rapidly. He had two small wishes: loving basketball, he hoped to return to the court soon to "play a real game," and another was to return to school quickly to study, planning to study civil engineering in college to become a construction engineer and build the safest and strongest houses. To achieve this, in the rehabilitation center, despite wearing prosthetics, he practiced basketball diligently. Every 20-minute practice session required changing his prosthetic leg with his mother's help, leaving the sponge pads inside soaked with sweat, and all eight layers of cloth covers completely drenched. His mother tearfully watched him. Liao Bo used to be the forward of the school basketball team, and despite losing his right leg, he hasn't given up basketball. "I will definitely return to the school basketball court," he said.
On September 16th last year, two Chinese men's basketball stars, Wang Zhizhi and Li Nan, visited Liao Bo, the "boy in the crevice" from Beichuan Middle School who was injured and amputated in the "5・12 Wenchuan Great Earthquake." The arrival of these two "giants" left the ever-loving basketball Liao Bo speechless: "Is this real?" Liao Bo stared in surprise at the two towering figures suddenly appearing in front of him. The resilience and optimism shown by Liao Bo deeply moved the two players. Wang Zhizhi patiently corrected Liao Bo's shooting actions like a coach, while Li Nan gave Liao Bo a basketball jersey signed by 12 members of the Chinese men's basketball team. As Wang Zhizhi and Li Nan were about to leave, facing the camera, the reporter asked Liao Bo what he wanted to say to Wang Zhizhi and Li Nan. The young man simply and powerfully said two words: "加油!" (Keep it up!) Indeed, we all want to say: Keep it up!
During the early stages of treatment and rehabilitation in Beijing, Liao Bo was arranged to attend a trial class in Class 6 of Grade 1 at Beijing No. 4 High School. Even though it was a prestigious school, Liao Bo felt that every student at No. 4 High School was "pretty cool." In his eyes, almost every classmate had a talent, some played musical instruments, others painted, and their English speaking skills were excellent. "I must study hard to keep up," he said. Once, he told his mother, "I didn't take my studies seriously before, thinking that failing university entrance exams wouldn't matter because I could still do physical labor. Now, I see that I must study hard." Mentioning these words from her son, his mother couldn't help but shed tears.
Although living in Beijing, Liao Bo continued to closely follow his school and classmates. He told reporters that among the 69 students in his class, 55 died in the earthquake, only three classmates were physically intact, and the "girl with the drip" Li Yang had already returned to school. His classmate Zheng Ludi, who spent 20 hours chatting with him in the rubble, had already undergone a leg amputation and hadn't returned to school yet. And the Liu Jialong that Liao Bo constantly thought about ultimately didn't survive. Speaking of these, Liao Bo choked up.
With the help of all parties, on August 5th, Liao Bo visited his long-missed school, seeing his classmates and teachers, and seeing Li Yang who once held the drip for him. Li Yang's smile remained unchanged, but Liao Bo shed tears again.
"The road ahead will surely be smooth, because there won't be a greater disaster than this," said Liao Bo with a smile. You can be sure that this boy will be stronger than ever.
3. Feng Xiang and his daughter Mo Wa
A few days ago, the blog post "A Bouquet of Purple Roses" mentioned Feng Xiang and his son. Today, we continue with their reunion story.
"A Bouquet of Purple Roses" was the last blog post written by Feng Xiang on the day of the earthquake, recounting the final moments he spent with his son that afternoon. Knowing that his father was going on a business trip downtown in the afternoon, Feng Hanmo playfully asked for two yuan, carefully tucked it into his pocket, and ran downstairs to school. An hour later, the earthquake struck. In his report to the organizational department, Feng Xiang recounted the events of that day: "At 2:28 PM on May 12, 2008, I was on the fifth floor of my home at the old local products company (behind the old district tea factory), packing toiletries in preparation for a three-month business trip to Xuanping. When the earthquake happened, my building did not collapse, so I survived. At 2:32 PM, after the earth stopped shaking, I helped my surviving father prepare to leave via the staircase, but found that rubble had piled up to the fourth floor. We had to climb out through the window between the fourth and fifth-floor stairs. By 3 PM, I and Tu Jiafa thought about the four hundred students at Zhishan Primary School (Central District) whose fates were unknown, so we rushed to Zhishan Primary School (Central District). Everywhere we went, bodies lay scattered, and the scenes were unbearable. From the rubble, we could hear the cries of students asking for help. By then, many survivors and parents had gathered at the ruins of Zhishan Primary School West District. Together, we saved nearly ten students from the kindergarten and remaining elementary school ruins. Underneath heavy precast slabs and mountains of rocks, many students remained trapped, unable to be rescued without large machinery. My beloved son Feng Hanmo was buried under a massive landslide, and his whereabouts remain unknown."
Nine days after the earthquake, Feng Xiang, devastated by the loss of his son, wrote his first blog post mourning his son, "No Earthquakes in Heaven":
"My dearest son, nine days have passed, and your mother and I still don't know where you are buried under the rubble of Zhishan Primary School. We have searched countless times, coming with hope and leaving with despair. We know that you have decisively chosen to leave and return to heaven.
My most cherished treasure, the ground is starting to drizzle, and you lie cold beneath it. I wonder if you feel cold or not. Every nightfall, I worry about you lying there alone, afraid or not.
Son, you have taken away all our hopes, all the happiness that allowed us to live. Your mother cries every day, and your father is crazed with grief. We haven't dared to tell your doting grandfather about your departure, fearing the trauma he would endure upon learning that his beloved grandson is now separated from us by life and death.
Child, my dearest child, your parents think of you every moment, longing for your return, but we know that you will never come back. You have gone to heaven, where there are flowers and blue skies, but no terrifying earthquakes. Child, you will not return; your once cozy home has now collapsed into ruins.
Your mother says you were an angel sent to us by heaven. In seven years, you brought us countless joy and laughter, countless aspirations and plans. Perhaps heaven only granted you a seven-year vacation, and when the time came, you resolutely left us, returning to heaven..."
Upon mentioning his son, Feng Xiang wept uncontrollably. That pain gnawed at him, tearing him apart, consuming him relentlessly. Ultimately, after writing "A Bouquet of Purple Roses," he ended his life, fulfilling his promise to "never be apart from his son."
While many lamented his choice of this method to reunite with his son, some expressed disagreement, advocating for the preservation of life. However, I fully support Feng Xiang's decision, for the same reason—to cherish life.
Human society has evolved to the point where, for developed nations and those of us living in urban areas, the meaning of life has transcended mere survival. For us, life holds more spiritual significance, focusing on quality of life. We prioritize improvements in housing, medical security, cultural education, and seek happiness, joy, and satisfaction—these relative, index-based emotional needs rather than basic physiological and survival needs. The United Nations has quantified certain indicators to compare happiness indices across different countries and regions. People pursue happy, joyful, and satisfying lives, rejecting pain, despair, and indignity. This right to life belongs to each individual, who has the autonomy to decide how to exercise it, and modern society should respect individuals' autonomy in exercising their right to life. In some Western countries, laws have been enacted to permit same-sex marriage and euthanasia, reflecting modern society's respect for individuals and human life.
Why do people choose euthanasia? Because terminal illnesses bring them endless, unbearable pain. Why do people choose suicide? Because life brings them boundless darkness and despair. Just as criminal sentences vary in length—like corruption offenses ranging from three years to life imprisonment or even the death penalty—life is not equal either. It has its amplitude and high standards: happiness, joy, and satisfaction, among which love and faith are the most worthwhile pursuits. Simultaneously, life has its baseline: tolerable pain, a glimmer of hope, and basic human dignity. Beyond this baseline, if life brings intense suffering, absolute despair, and the loss of minimal dignity, it becomes unacceptable and should be abandoned.
Therefore, for terminal cancer patients with no hope of recovery requiring heavy doses of medication for pain relief, we should allow them to choose dignified euthanasia. For those who pose significant harm to society, we should allow the law to deprive them of life. And for those who fall into utter despair, shouldn't we refrain from stopping them from giving up their lives? In San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, since its establishment, over 1,300 people have jumped off to commit suicide. Why do so many choose the Golden Gate Bridge? It's rumored that the view from beneath the bridge is the most beautiful. Imagine, when someone utterly hopeless sits on the railing, facing the most beautiful, dream-inducing scenery, and behind them lies endless, eternal darkness, would they choose beauty or darkness? Would they step back or forward? The answer seems definite. Thus, San Francisco police haven't increased patrols here but instead placed Bibles in appropriate positions on the railing, allowing people to pause in their final moments and reconsider: Is hope entirely lost? Is there no shred of light remaining?
Feng Xiang, this Qiang man from Beichuan, tried hard, struggled. He worked tirelessly and even got promoted due to his outstanding performance. However, from his remaining blog posts, it's evident that this overwhelming workload did nothing to diminish his longing for his son or alleviate the immense pain of losing him. This endless pain didn't fade or diminish