Dou Yuanzhu, Qu Cuixia, and their two daughters. Special correspondent Ke Li took the photo.
Xinwen - Electric (Special Correspondent Ke Li) - Natural disasters test humanity, and family emotions move heaven and earth. On the 16th, at a shelter in Sendai City, Dou Yuanzhu from Qinghai Province calmly told our reporter about his experience of riding his bicycle through continuous aftershocks late at night, covering approximately over 100 kilometers to successfully rescue his wife and two daughters from their home in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster. Similar experiences are frequently enacted among tens of thousands of evacuees fleeing the nuclear radiation zone.
The Coastal Beauty Has All Disappeared
The gentle and refined Dou Yuanzhu has been in Japan for 15 years, working as an electronic product designer in Furukawa City. His wife came to Japan six years ago to reunite with him, and they have two adorable daughters. They settled down in Soma City, "Next to our house is the Fukushima Prefectural Park, which contains the Matsukawa Bay, one of Japan's top 100 scenic spots." Mr. Dou specially pulled out his phone and showed me the beautiful beach scenery stored inside it. It only takes a five-minute walk from his house to the beach, and the family loved strolling by the sea on weekends. "Unfortunately, such a beautiful coastline has now completely disappeared!"
Life for Chinese in Japan is not easy. In order to create a better economic environment for their daughters, after finishing her maternity leave, his wife started working at a company located 30 kilometers away from home, dealing with equipment exports, while Mr. Dou himself works more than 100 kilometers away from home, unable to return every day. Their elderly parents back home are too old 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 send their four-year-old elder daughter and two-year-old younger daughter to a nearby nursery school. Every day, his wife would drop off the children at the nursery school before driving for an hour to work.
During the Earthquake, It Felt Like Being a Small Boat Adrift in the Waves
On March 11th, when the earthquake occurred, Mr. Dou initially didn't pay much attention because earthquakes are common in Japan. "In the past, the earthquakes we experienced lasted at most twenty or thirty seconds, but this time was different, lasting two or three minutes. Inside the house, I felt like being a small boat adrift in the waves, swaying continuously," Mr. Dou anxiously called his wife, only to find that the mobile phone line was down.
The Children's Situation Was Most Heart-Wrenching
"Throughout the afternoon, aftershocks kept coming. I saw on the news that many roads near my home were already damaged, with traffic interrupted. Both water and electricity were cut off at home and at the company. The situation of the two children was what worried me the most. Finally, I decided to ride my bike home." In Mr. Dou's matter-of-fact narration, his determination shone through.
A Long Journey of Seven Hours Finally Brought Him Home
It was already dark. He risked the danger of aftershocks, carrying dry rations, and rode alone on winding mountain roads, constantly hearing the thunderous 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 long-distance travel, he finally covered over 100 kilometers and safely returned home. "There was no water or electricity at home, but the house was still intact, with only a few vases and picture frames broken."
The children and wife were all safe at the welfare institute, and upon seeing each other again, the family burst into tears of joy.
After spending two nights in the car, even 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 disaster victim settlement point dozens of kilometers away in Soma City. On the afternoon of the 16th, they finally boarded the bus sent by the Chinese embassy in Japan and were safely transferred to the shelter in Sendai City.
Mr. Dou's family will board the plane arranged by the Chinese government today to return to China. He said: "At this moment, the word 'motherland' weighs a thousand catties in my heart!"