When I turn on the television or listen to the radio, everything is about the earthquake. All around Lanzhou there are signs, billboards, posters, banners, etc. all having to do with Si Chuan.
There are pictures of bodies. There is video of small children screaming for their mothers. There are pictures of children's drawings saying "I miss my family" underneath. And of course, there are pictures and video of the destroyed buildings.
It's almost like propaganda, and I can't figure it out. Who is behind it all? Why are they inciting fear? Who is benefiting from this?
All of the Chinese people here at the university are scared. They sleep by the hundreds in tents on the field of the stadium, the only place relatively safe if buildings were to fall.
The people say that "the earthquake is moving closer to Lanzhou" and that "the aftershocks are coming sometime tonight," etc.
They won't listen to reason, and every day the panic seems to grow.
Last week there were three days of mourning. It was eerie. China is always loud and busy and crazy and fun. For three days it was quiet and scary.
I wonder if people will resume their normal lives any time soon. What if they're afraid of another earthquake all summer? I can't imagine living in fear like they are.
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