Today at approximately 2:30pm, a swell of horns surged outside of my 19th floor office window. We are located at Yandang Road and Nanchang Road, at the northeastern entrance of Fuxing Park, and have a clear view of major roads such as Huaihai Middle Road, as well as the Chongqing Expressway. Outside, cars on the highways and streets had stopped, as had cyclists in mid-intersection. Pedestrians slouched on curbs. Workers weather-proofing roofs rested their hands on their heads, women hanging laundry stopped in mid-motion. Although it wasn’t quiet, it was still.
It’s one of the first events in a three-day period of mourning in which the government has restricted access to entertainment channels and plead for the discontinuation of frivolous text messaging, as well as paused the torch’s march.
The death toll in Sichuan has reached 34,073 people, with an additional 245,108 injured, 9,500 still buried in the rubble, and 29,29,418 missing.
Check out the clip for the feeling of the memorial this afternoon. 080519_000.mp3
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