Thursday, July 17, 2008

Earthquake Relief Performance


Tonight was opening night in Shenzhen. It was a benefit performance for the victims of the Sichuan Earthquake. It was a very touching experience as about 20 children who survived the earthquake were in attendance wearing their native Sichuan dress. The children were from the city of Wenchuan which was the epicenter of the earthquake. We were told that their school was one of the many that collapsed and they were some of the few survivors. We were told that many of them no longer have parents. It was amazing to see them smiling and having fun trying to communicate with us. We counted together in Chinese, then we did it in English. They seemed to really enjoy teaching us Chinese words and thanked us for coming to China. At the end of the performance, the older children went onstage to present the cast with flowers. Somehow, it seemed the opposite of what it should be. They should be the ones receiving the flowers, but it was a very moving evening. You can see photos on the photo page.

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