As dawn broke, Ma Junyun and his fellows started cooking noodles by a roadside in the quake-hit Tsogo Township of southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The rising steam momentarily dispelled the morning’s chilly grip.
“We have just delivered 15 bowls of noodles to a relocation site,” said Ma, providing free-of-charge hand-pulled beef noodles to passers-by. Ma hails from northwest China’s Gansu Province, famous for Lanzhou beef noodles.
The man understood all too well the difficulty of obtaining a bowl of noodles under such difficult circumstances, as his hometown Jishishan, an autonomous county of Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar ethnic groups, was jolted by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Dec. 18, 2023. “After the disaster happened, we received aid from across China, including people in Xizang,” he said.
Ma has been doing business in Xigaze City, where Dingri County administers Tsogo. On Tuesday, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri at 9:05 a.m., leaving 126 people dead and at least 188 others injured.
Ma left for the epicenter immediately after he learned about the quake. “Whatever our nationalities are, we come from a whole big family,” he added.
Individuals like Ma and his friends are joining countless others across the country to offer assistance to those affected by the quake.
Rescue and counseling
More than 14,000 rescuers have raced against time to search for survivors and sped up the resettlement of affected residents.
So far, over 400 trapped people have been rescued. Xinhua reporters observed rescue workers busy setting up tents to shelter those affected.
On the playground of a primary school in Qulho Township, 25 tents were erected. Rescuers were distributing meals and some local residents were playing football.
Catastrophes are likely to leave enduring trauma to those affected, especially younger individuals.
In Tangren Village of Tsogo, two social workers from the Xizang Starlight Social Work Service Center provide post-earthquake psychological support to over 50 children at the resettlement site.
Tseten Lhamo, a 24-year-old social worker, said that their work primarily focuses on listening to the children.
“Many of them share small but endearing stories with me, like whose younger brother wet the bed during the night or who woke up unable to find their socks,” she said. “We also organize games with the children, creating moments of joy that help ease the emotional stress caused by the earthquake.”
The center has donated 152 clothes, 380 quilts, 114 tents and 152 boxes of instant noodles to the village.
Aid from across the country
China has established a nationwide blood supply coordination mechanism to ensure timely emergency medical support across different regions. The National Health Commission has issued an urgent notice, saying that the earthquake-stricken areas in Xizang need 20 units of type B platelets.
Under the mechanism, the Chengdu Blood Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province sent a batch of donated platelets on Thursday morning to Xigaze to treat earthquake victims in Dingri.
Shanghai has sent a medical team, comprising 13 experts and healthcare workers specializing in orthopedics, anesthesiology, critical care and neurosurgery from various hospitals, and 7.45 tonnes of relief supplies to Xizang.
While Jishishan has mobilized clothes, quilts, tents, electric blankets and electric heaters for Dingri.
Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province has delivered heating devices, winter clothing, instant noodles and purified water to Xigaze. It also plans to provide 1 million kilograms of rice, valued at 7 million yuan (about 954,800 U.S. dollars), to the quake-affected regions.
Authorities of Ya’an City in Sichuan has mobilized key Tibetan tea enterprises to prepare relief supplies. On Wednesday morning, six trucks carrying about 50 tonnes of Tibetan tea left Ya’an for Dingri. Tibetan tea is an integral part of daily life for Tibetan people, as reflected in a local saying: “Better to go a day without food than a day without tea.”
“We hope the tea can provide warmth and comfort to those affected by the quake and help them through this challenging time,” said Gan Yuxiang, head of a local tea company. The tea is expected to reach the disaster-stricken area within four days.
China’s Ministry of Finance on Wednesday earmarked 80 million yuan in disaster relief funds to support agricultural production in Xizang. The funds will be used to support disaster relief work related to agricultural production and to restore animal husbandry facilities damaged by the earthquake.
A total of 100 million yuan was allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Tuesday to support disaster relief efforts in Xizang. The National Development and Reform Commission has also allocated 100 million yuan to support post-disaster emergency recovery.
Chinese central authorities have allocated the second batch of 20,000 items, such as quilts and folding beds, 2,000 sets of bunkhouses, and 200,000 winter supplies to quake-stricken areas.
As the quake struck in the morning, many local people fled in such a rush that they only wore slippers or were even barefoot. With the relief supplies arriving, Xinhua reporters saw many Tibetan women choosing shoes suitable for themselves and their families at the distribution points.
Tashi Mocog, a seven-year-old girl in Tsogo, ran to the rescuers and handed them a box of instant noodles she had received. “Thank you for helping us,” said the girl in a pink robe. “We are not afraid so long as you are here.”
