地震英语阅读

Tangshan: The Deadliest Earthquake From Jennifer Rosenberg At 3:42 a.m. on July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the sleeping city of Tangshan, in northeastern China. The very large earthquake, striking an area where it was totally unexpected, obliterated the city of Tangshan and killed over 240,000 people - making it the deadliest earthquake of the twentieth century. Fireballs and Animals Give Warning Though scientific earthquake prediction is in its nascent stages, nature often gives some advance warning of an impending earthquake. In a village outside of Tangshan, well water reportedly rose and fell three times the day before the earthquake. In another village, gas began to spout out the water well on July 12 and then increased on July 25th and 26th. Other wells throughout the area showed signs of cracking. Animals also gave a warning that something was about to happen. One thousand chickens in Baiguantuan refused to eat and ran around excitedly chirping. Mice and yellow weasels were seen running around looking for a place to hide. In one household in the city of Tangshan, a goldfish began jumping wildly in its bowl. At 2 a.m. on July 28, shortly before the earthquake struck, the goldfish jumped out of its bowl. Once its owner had returned him to his bowl, the goldfish continued to jump out of its bowl until the earthquake hit. Strange? Indeed. These were isolated incidents, spread across a city of a million people and a countryside scattered with villages. But nature gave additional warnings. The night preceding the earthquake, July 27-28, many people reported seeing strange lights as well as loud sounds. The lights were seen in a multitude of hues. Some people saw flashes of light; others witnessed fireballs flying across the sky. Loud, roaring noises followed the lights and fireballs. Workers at the Tangshan airport described the noises as louder than that of an airplane. The Earthquake Strikes When the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Tangshan at 3:42 a.m. on July 28, over a million people lay sleeping, unaware of the disaster that was to befall them. As the earth began to shake, a few people who were awake had the forethought to dive under a table or other heavy piece of furniture, but most were asleep and did not have time. The entire earthquake lasted approximately 14 to 16 seconds. Once the quake was over, the people who could, scrambled out into the open, only to see the entire city levelled. After an initial period of shock, the survivors began to dig through debris to answer the muffled calls for help as well as find loved ones still under rubble. As injured people were saved from under the rubble, they were lain on the side of the road. Many of the medical personnel were also trapped under debris or killed by the earthquake. The medical centers were destroyed as well as the roads to get there. Survivors were faced with no water, no food, and no electricity. All but one of the roads into Tangshan was undrivable. Unfortunately, relief workers accidentally clogged the one remaining road, leaving them and their supplies stuck for hours in the traffic jam. People needed help immediately; survivors could not wait for help to arrive. Survivors formed groups to dig for others. They set up medical areas where emergency procedures were conducted with the minimum of supplies. They searched for food and set up temporary shelters. Though 80 percent of the people trapped under rubble were saved, a 7.1 magnitude aftershock that hit in the afternoon of July 28 sealed the fate for many who had been waiting under the rubble for help. After the earthquake hit, 242,419 people lay dead or dying, along with another 164,581 people who were severely injured. In 7,218 households, all members of the family were killed by the earthquake. Corpses were buried quickly, usually close to the residences in which they perished. This later caused health problems, especially after it rained and the bodies were again exposed. Workers had to find these impromptu graves, dig up the bodies, and then move and rebury the corpses outside of the city. Damage and Recovery Before the 1976 earthquake, scientists didn't think Tangshan was susceptible to a large earthquake; thus, the area was zoned an intensity level of VI on the Chinese intensity scale (similar to the Mercalli scale). The 7.8 earthquake that hit Tangshan was given an intensity level of XI (out of XII). The buildings in Tangshan were not built to withstand such a large earthquake. Ninety-three percent of residential buildings and 78 percent of industrial buildings were completely destroyed. Eighty percent of the water pumping stations were seriously damaged and the water pipes were damaged throughout the city. Fourteen percent of the sewage pipes were severely damaged. The foundations of bridges gave way, causing the bridges to collapse. Railroad lines bent. Roads were covered with debris as well as riddled with fissures. With so much damage, recovery was not easy. Food was a high priority. Some food was parachuted in, but the distribution was uneven. Water, even just for drinking, was extremely scarce. Many people drank out of pools or other locations that had become contaminated during the earthquake. Relief workers eventually got water trucks and others to transport clean drinking water into the affected areas. After the emergency care was given, the rebuilding of Tangshan began almost immediately. Though it took time, the entire city was rebuilt and is again home to over a million people, earning Tangshan the name "Brave City of China."

只找到唐山的 九七六年，中国唐山市发生大地震。 唐山大地震，是迄今为止四百多年世界地震史上最悲惨的一页。 死亡：24万2千7百69人，重伤：16万4千8百51人 二十四万人无疑是一个悲哀的整体，它们在十年前带走了完整的活力、情感…… □3时42分53．8秒…… 历史将永远铭记地球的这个坐标：东经118．2°，北纬39．6°。 人类将永远铭记历史的这个时刻：公元一千九百七十六年七月二十八日，北京时间凌晨三时四十二分五十三点八秒。 唐山市地下的岩石突然崩溃了！断裂了！仿佛四百枚广岛原子弹在距地面十六公里处的地壳中猛然爆炸！ 唐山上空电光闪闪，惊雷震荡；大地上狂风呼啸。在强烈的摇撼中，这座百万人口的工业城市在顷刻间夷为平地。 整个华北大地在剧烈震颤。 天津市发出房倒屋塌的巨响，正在该市访问的澳大利亚总理被惊醒；北京市在摇晃不止，人民英雄纪念碑在颤动，天安门城楼上粗大的梁柱发出断裂般“嘎嘎”的响声。 在华夏大地，北至哈尔滨，南至安徽蚌埠、江苏清江一线，西至内蒙磴口、宁夏吴忠一线，东至渤海湾岛屿和东北国境线，这一广大地区的人们都感到异乎寻常的摇撼。强大的地震波，以人们感觉不到的速度和方式传遍整个地球。 美国阿拉斯加帕默天文台骤然响起了扣人心弦的警钟，阿拉斯加州上下跳动了八分之一英寸。美国全国地质调查所称：中国北京东南一百英里，北纬39．6°，东经118．1°，在天津附近，发生8．2级地震。 日本宣布，中国发生7．5至8．2级地震。震中在内蒙古地区，即北纬43°，东经115°。 瑞典宣称，中国发生8．2级地震。 香港的英国皇家天文台宣布：中国发生8级左右的地震，震中在北纬39．6°，东经118．1°，距唐山极近。 中国台北中央气象局称中国发生8级地震。 中国新华社于七月二十八日向全世界播发如下消息：新华社1976年7月28日讯：我国河北省冀东地区的唐山——丰南一带，七月二十八日三时四十二分发生强烈地震。…… □ 大自然警告过 似乎是一场无法预料、无法阻止的浩劫，可是大自然又确实警告过，这些警告使那些灾难发生后重新收集资料的那些地震学者们，感到毛骨悚然和深思。只是，对于“7．28”来说，这一切都太晚了。 1．恐怖极了的鱼 据蔡家堡、北戴河一带的渔民说，鱼儿象疯了一般。在七月二十八日前后，各种鱼纷纷上浮、翻白，极易捕捉，渔民遇到了从未有的好运气。 歧门河闸附近，光着身子的孩子们用小网兜鱼，鱼儿简直是往网里跳，数小时就能兜几十斤鱼。 唐山市赵各庄煤矿陈玉成说，七月二十四日，他家里的两只鱼缸里的金鱼，争着跳离水面，跃出缸外，把跳出的金鱼放回去，金鱼居然尖叫不止。 唐山柏各庄养鱼场的霍善华介绍说，七月二十五日，鱼塘中一片哗然的响声，草鱼成群跳跃，有的跳离水面一尺多高。更有奇者，有的鱼尾朝上头朝下，倒立水面，竟螺旋一般飞快地打转。 唐山以南天津大沽口海面，“长湖”号油轮的船员介绍，七月二十七日那天，油轮周围的海蛰忽然增多，成群的小鱼急促地游来游去，放下钩去，片刻就能钓上一百多条。 2．失去“理性”的飞虫、鸟类和蝙蝠 唐山以南天津大沽口海面，“长湖”号油轮的船员目睹，七月二十五日，油轮四周海面的空气吱吱地响，一大群深绿色翅膀的蜻蜓飞来，栖在船窗，桅杆和船舷上，密匝匝的一片，一动不动，任人捕捉驱赶，一只也不起飞。不久，船上的骚动更大了，一大群五彩缤纷的蝴蝶、土色的蝗虫、黑色的蝉，以及许许多多麻雀和不知名的小鸟也飞来了，仿佛是不期而遇的大聚会，最后飞来一只色彩斑斓的虎皮鹦鹉，傻傻地立在船尾一动不动。 天津市郊木场公社和西营门公社都看见成百上千只蝙蝠，大白天在空中乱飞。 唐山以南宁海县潘庄公社西塘坨大队一户社员家，从七月二十五日起，房梁下的老燕就象发疯一样，每天将小燕从巢里抛出去，主人将小燕捡回去，随即又被老燕抛出去。七月二十七日，老燕带着剩下的两只小燕飞走了。 七月二十七日，迁安乡社员看到，蜻蜓如蝗虫般飞来。飞行队伍宽一百多米，自东向西，持续约十五分钟之久。蜻蜓飞过时，一片嗡嗡地响声，气势之大，令人目瞪口呆。 3．动物界的逃亡大迁徙 七月二十七日，唐山地区滦南县王盖山的人们亲眼看见成群的老鼠在仓惶奔蹿，大老鼠带着小老鼠跑，小老鼠则相互咬着尾巴连成一串。有人感到好奇，追着打，好心人劝阻说：“别打啦，怕是要发水” 七月二十五日上午，抚宁县，有人看到一百多只黄鼠狼，大的背着或叼着小的挤挤挨挨地从古墙洞钻出，向村内大转移。天黑时分，有十多只在一棵核桃树下乱转，当场被打死五只，其余的则在不停地哀嚎，有面临死期的恐慌感。二十六日、二十七日，这群黄鼠狼继续向村外转移，一片惊慌气氛。 敏感的飞虫、鸟类及大大小小的动物，比人类早早地迈开了逃难的第一步。然而人类却没有意识到这就是来自大自然的警告。他们万万没有想到，一场毁灭生灵的巨大灾难已经迫近了。 4．不可捉摸的信息 大自然确实在警告人类。 唐山东南的海岸线上，浪涛在发出动人心魄的喧响。七月下旬起，北戴河一带的渔民就感到疑惑：原来一向露出海面的礁石，怎么被海水吞没了。距唐山较近的蔡家堡至大神堂海域，渔民似乎不太相信自己的眼睛：那从来是碧澄澄的海水，为什么变得一片浑黄？在不平静的海的深处，就象有一条传说中的龙尾在摆动，在搅动着海底深处的泥土。 据当时在秦皇岛附近水域中作业的一位潜水员说，他看见了一条彩色绚丽的光带，就象一条金色的火龙，转瞬即逝。 水！水也在向人类发出警告！ 在唐山地区滦县高坎公社有一口井，这口井并不深，平时用扁担就可以提水，可是在七月二十七日这天，有人忽然发现扁担挂着的桶已经够不到水面，他转身回家取来井绳，谁知下降的水又忽然回升了，不但不用井绳，而且直接提着水桶就能打满水！那些天，唐山附近的一些村子里，有些池塘莫名其妙地干了，有些地方又腾起水柱。水！忽降忽升的水！它在向人类传递大自然的什么信息呢？！ 距唐山二百多公里，海拔一千三百五十米的延庆县佛爹顶上的一台测雨雷达，以及附近一台空军警戒雷达，二十六日、二十七日，连续收到来自京、津、唐上空一种奇异扇形指状回波，这种回波与海浪干扰、晴空湍流等引起的回波都不一样，使监测人员十分惶惑。而京、津、唐人们就在这个强大的磁场中毫无知觉的穿行。 七月二十七日，唐山北部一个军营里，几个士兵惊叫起来，他们发现地下的一堆钢筋，莫名其妙地迸发出闪亮的光，仿佛一个隐身人在那里烧电焊。 在京、津、唐地区，半夜不少人家中关闭的日光灯依然奇怪地亮着。 在唐山林西矿区，飘来一股淡黄色的雾，它障人眼目，令人迷惑。人们被那股异味熏糊涂了，他们已经看不清这世界的面目，更弄不清大自然正在酝酿着什么样的悲剧。如果这些奇异的信息都能够及时地被采集、被集中、被传送、被处理，那么对这场灾祸的描述也许完全可能是另一个样子。遗憾的是机会丧失了！人们眨着迷惑的眼睛，迷迷蒙蒙、不知不觉地走到七月二十七日深夜。 5．大毁灭前的“7．27”深夜 唐山市郊栗园公社茅草营大队王财在深夜十二点钟看完电影回家，看见四只鸭子依然站在门外，一见主人，它们齐声叫起来，伸长脖子，张开翅膀，摇摇晃晃地扑来，王财走到那儿，它们就追到那儿，拼命地用嘴拧他的裤腿。 唐山市郊栗园公社的王春衡，亲眼看见他二大爷家里的猫隔着帐子挠人，非把人挠醒不可。 那一夜，唐山周围方圆几百公里的地方，人们都听见了长时间的尖厉的犬吠。 唐山市殷各庄公社大安各庄李孝生养的那只狼狗，那一夜死活不让他睡觉，狗叫不起他，便在他的腿上猛咬了一口，疼得他跳起来，追打这条忠实的狗。 丰南县毕武庄公社李极庄大队刘文亮，深夜被狗叫吵醒；当时他家的狗在院内使劲挠着他的房门，他打开门放狗进来。狗却要把他拖出屋去。 唐山市遵化县刘备寨公社安各寨大队张洪祥家的狗也叫个不停，一直叫到张家的人下床，狗在张洪祥兄弟的腿上咬了一口，象引路似的，奔向屋外。 丰南县阑高庄公社于北大队王有才妻那天晚上由公社回家刚走到门口，家里的公狗突然从门口向她扑来，阻挠她进院。 夜越来越深。这是一个充满喧嚣的夜。七月二十八日就是在这不安的气氛中来临的。 一时三十分，抚宁县大山头养貂场张春柱被一阵“吱吱”的叫声惊醒，全场四百一十五只貂，象炸营一样在笼里乱跳，惊恐万状。 与此同时，丰润县白官屯公社苏官屯大队养鸡场也出现一片混乱：一千多只鸡来回乱串，上窗台咯咯怪叫。 三点多，丰润县左家坞公社扬谷塔大队的一百多匹马全部挣断缰绳，争先恐后跑出马厩，在大路上撒蹄狂奔。 就在眼前了。昌黎县有几个看瓜员，看到距离他们二百多米远的上空忽然明亮起来，照得地面发白，西瓜地中的瓜叶、瓜蔓清晰可辨。“怎么，天亮了？”，但一看表才三点多钟。正奇怪，天又变暗了，又如墨染的一般。 那一刻，大地正沉浸在毁灭之前的宁静之中。 显然，在唐山大地震前，许多人都收到了大自然的警告信号。这些信号具有不唯一性——天气闷热也会使鸡犬不宁，连日多雨也会使井水突涨，人们也正是用最寻常的经验解释了那些“异常”。 一九七八年美国地质调查局出版的《地震情报通报》中，刊印了一张幽默照片：一只闭眼张口、惊恐惨叫的黑猩猩。照片上方写着“为什么我能预报地震而地震科学家们不能？”这是人类的自责。然而人们常常忘了：人是社会的动物，即使在同自然界的斗争中，人也只是作为一个整体，才能显示出他们的力量。当人们各自为战的时候，他并不比动物有更多的优越性。仅仅依赖本能，人甚至不如动物。在地震这样重大而又神秘的自然灾害面前，人们没有形成一个防犯的整体，没有相应的通讯渠道和手段对自然界的异常信息进行及时的收集和处理，他们怎能不被突降的恶魔各个击破？ 永远记住大自然的警告吧。 □ 目击者言 1．李洪义（二五五医院护士） 那天晚上，我值后半夜。上半夜又热又闷，人根本无法入睡。接班后困得不行，在病房守到三点半的光景，我就跑到屋外乘凉。四周出奇的静，平时的蛙叫闹嚷嚷的，可眼前怎么一点声音也没有了？静得让人发怵。 突然间，我听到一个古怪的声音，“吱——”从头上飞过，那声音尖细尖细的，象一把刀子从天上划过。我打了一个哆嗦，起了一身鸡皮疙瘩。抬头看天，阴沉沉的，有一片形状奇怪的彩云，说红不红，说紫不紫，天幕特别昏。我想是不是要下雨，起身往屋里走。可是人莫名其妙的发慌，象有人随时会从身后追过来抓我一般。我平时胆子挺大，可那时却怕得要命，心砰砰乱跳，自己也莫名其妙的跑起来。我回了一下头，见西方特别亮，好象失火，又听不见人喊，到处象死了一样。我越发紧张，赶紧逃进房子，一把拧亮电灯，又把门插上。 这时我听见“呜——呜”的巨响，象是百八十台汽车在同时发动。“糟了”，邢台地震时我在沧州听过这种声音。我立刻想到：是地震。 说话间房子猛烈地摇晃起来，桌上的暖瓶栽下地，炸了个粉碎。我用力打开门，只开了一小半，冲出房子，冲向房前的大树。 我紧紧抱住树。黑暗中只觉得大地晃晃悠悠，我和大树都在往一个万丈深渊里落、落。房子倒塌声我根本听不见，只看见宿舍楼的影子，刚才还在，一会儿就没了。 我伸出手在眼前晃了晃，可什么也看不清。我吓傻了，拼尽全身力气吼了一声。 2．田玉安（唐山丰南县稻地大队农民） 咳，真吓人。 那天新上任的队长让大家连夜干活，说是怕误了农时。 三点多才完了事，别人拾掇工具回村去了，只留下我和另外一个人打扫场子。猛然间，头顶上象挨了一个炸雷，“轰隆隆——”地动山摇！我象被一个扫堂腿扫倒在地，往左调一个个儿，又往右打了一个滚，怎么也撑不起身子。场上的电灯一下子都灭了。一扭头，妈呀，吓死人！一个火球从地下钻出来，通红刺眼，噼啪乱响，飞到半空才灭。 天亮了，我看见火球蹿出的地方有一道裂缝，两边的土都烧焦了。 3．张克英（唐山火车站服务员） 地震那声巨响，我一辈子也忘不了。 那天，我两点多钟起来值班，负责卖站台票。三点多钟的光景，听人喊“要下雨啦！要下雨啦！”我赶紧跑出去搬我新买的自行车，只见天色昏红昏红的，好象什么地方在打闪。站前广场上的人都往侯车室里涌，想找一个躲雨的地方。那时，侯车室里有二百多人，接站的、上车的、下车后等早班公共汽车的，闹嚷嚷的一片。我还记得一对年轻人要找我买站台票，接北京来的车。我告诉他们：“这会儿没车，还是在五点以后再买吧。”他俩不走就等在窗前，谁想到就这么等来了大地震。 地震来前，我正在与隔壁的陈师傅说话，就听“咣！！！”，那响声把人都震甍了，我以为是两辆高速行驶的列车对撞，还没等喊出声来，整个侯车室的灯灭了，一片漆黑。房子摇晃起来，侯车室乱作一团。喊爹的，叫妈的，人踩人的，东西碰东西的，什么都有。先是听到“噗通！噗通！”吊灯、吊扇落下来砸在人头上的声音，被砸的大人孩子一声接一声地惨叫。不一会儿，“轰隆隆”一声，整个车站大厅落了架，二百多人，差不多全给砸在里面。我多亏房门斜倒在“小件寄存”的货架上，把我夹在中间，没伤到要命的地方。我听见离我很近的地方两声惨叫： “哎呀——” “妈呀——” 我听得出，是那一对年轻男女。他们只喊了这一下，再没有第二下…… □ 濒死的拂晓 唐山第一次失去它的黎明。 它被漫天迷雾笼罩。石灰、黄土、煤屑、烟尘以及一座城市毁灭时所产生的死亡物质，混合成灰色的雾。浓极了的雾气弥漫着，飘浮着，一片片，一缕缕，一絮絮地升起，象缓缓地悬浮于空中的帷幔，无声地笼罩着这片废墟，笼罩着这座空寂无声的末日之城。 已经听不见大震时核爆炸似的巨响，以及大地颤抖时发出的深沉的喘息。仅仅数小时前，唐山还是那样美丽，现在，它肢残体碎，奄奄一息。 朦朦大雾中： 唐山火车站，东部铁轨成蛇形弯曲，其轮廓象一只扁平的铁葫芦。 开滦医院七层大楼，成了一座坟丘似的三角形斜塔，顶部仅剩两间病房大小的建筑，颤巍巍地搭斜在一堵随时可能塌落的残壁上，阳台全部震塌，三层楼的阳台，垂直地砸在二层楼的阳台上，欲落未落。 唐山第十中学那条水泥马路，被拦腰震断，一截向左，一截向右，错位达一米之多。 …… 更为惊心的是，在“7．28”地震地裂缝穿过的地方，唐山地委党校、东新街小学、地区农研所、以及整个路南居民区，都象被一只巨手摸去似的不见了。一场大自然的恶作剧使唐山面目全非，桥梁折断，烟囱倒塌，列车出轨，七零八落的混凝土梁柱东倒西歪，落而未落的楼板悬挂在空中，到处是断墙残壁…… 浓浓的大雾中，听不见呻吟，听不见呼喊，只有机械的脚步声，沉重的喘息声，和路边越堆越高的尸体山！头颅被挤碎的，双脚被砸烂的，身体被压扁的，胸腔被戳穿的……最令人心颤的，是那一具具挂在危楼上的尸体。有的仅仅一只手被楼板压住，砸裂的头耷拉着；有的跳楼时被砸住双脚，整个人倒悬在空中。这是遇难者中最敏感的一群，已经从酣梦中惊醒逃生，然而他们的逃路却被死神截断。有一位年轻的母亲，在三层楼的窗口已经探出半个身子，沉重的楼板便落下来把她压在窗台上。她死在半空，怀里抱着孩子，在死的一瞬间，还本能地保护着小生命。随着危楼在余震中颤抖，母亲垂落的头发在雾气中拂动。 形形色色的人影，在灰雾中晃动。他们惊魂未定，步履踉跄，活象一群游梦者，恍恍惚惚地被抛到一个陌生的星球。他们一切都麻木了，泪腺、声带，传导疼痛的神经系统都麻木了。谁也想不到会有这场规模如此浩大的劫难，他们无暇思索，无暇感觉，甚至来不及为骨肉剥离而悲恸。 太阳出来了。当这轮火球象往常一样高高悬挂的时候，浓雾——这片浓极的濒死的浓雾开始在炽热的强光照耀下慢慢变薄，散去。昏迷中的唐山即将苏醒，当浓雾即将散尽的时候，惊恐的人们忽然发现两只从动物园逃出来同样惊恐的狼，它们相依着，站在远处黑色的废墟上，孤单地睁着惊吓的眼睛，余悸未消地喘息着。突然它们纵身一跳，箭一般的蹿向凤凰山顶。断崖前，它们终于站住了，石雕一般。面对山下整个破碎的唐山，面对这样一片无边的废墟，面对这样一片灾难的海洋，它们发出酷似人声的凄厉的嗥叫。 “7．28”的清晨残雾以及这充满恐怖的狼嗥，久久不散。 在唐山城乡总计六十八万二千两百六十七间、一千零九十三万二千二百七十二平方米的民用建筑中，竟有六十五万六千一百三十六间、一千零五十万一千零五十六平方米在地震中倒塌和遭受到严重破毁！房屋，本是人类保护自己、抗风御雨的处所，是人们文明进化、美化生活的标志，然而在一场大地震中，它们却助纣为虐，使灾难变本加厉，成了人类的坟墓。 唐山，华北著名的工业城市。它的面积约占全中国的万分之一，人口约占全中国的千分之一，而产值约占全中国的百分之一！ 唐山素有煤都之称，煤产量占全国的二十分之一，支持着中国的主要钢铁厂。唐山的电力举足轻重，陡河发电站是华北电网的主力电站之一，是我国最大的火力发电站。唐山还是著名的“华北瓷都”，可与景德镇的陶瓷一比上下。唐山还有冶金业、纺织业、水泥、汽车、机械制造……许许多多极其重要的企业！ 然而作为华北最大的重工业城市，却几乎看不到一根直立的烟囱。作为一个巨大的经济生命体，它已经没有呼吸，没有脉搏，没有流动的血液。只有一片废墟！ 一八三五年三月四日，伟大的进化论者达尔文来到刚刚发生过强烈地震的智利康塞普西翁市，面对一片废墟，他发出由衷的感慨：“……人类无数时间和劳动所建树的成绩，只在一分钟之内就毁灭了；可是，我对受难者的同情，比另外一种感觉似乎要单薄些，就是那种被这往往要几个世纪才能完成，而现在一分钟就毁灭的情景所引起的惊愕的感觉……” 这也是无数中国人对唐山蒙难日——“7．28”的感觉。

Tangshan Earthquake Xu Xuejiang, the man who blew the whistle on the death toll from the Tangshan earthquake 30 years ago, recently recounted how he broke his silence to reveal that the quake had claimed 240,000 lives, a figure that had kept secret for three years. The Tangshan earthquake, which devastated north China's Hebei Province in 1976, was an event surrounded by speculation, guesswork and rumors because no official information about what had actually happened or casualties sustained was made available.Xu considers his experience is still relevant to today's China, which has just drafted a law targeting local officials guilty of cover-ups and media that give incorrect information about disasters, accidents and other emergencies.In November 1979, Xu, then a reporter with Xinhua News Agency and later deputy chief editor, inadvertently got wind of details about the earthquake at the inaugural meeting of China's Seismological Society held in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province.It was the first time that official figures from the Tangshan earthquake were made available. "It was a big story that the country and the world had long been waiting for. I felt I had to use every possible means to bring it to the public," Xu said.He quickly wrote a story and submitted it to the meeting's general secretary, then an official with the State Seismological Bureau, for further verification. But some persuasion on his part was necessary: "The earthquake happened more than three years ago. There has been too much hearsay because no official statistics have yet been released. The Hong Kong media even claimed that the death toll was over 700,000. It's better to tell the truth rather than cover things up," Xu said to the general secretary. "This meeting is a good opportunity. If the news comes from a conference on seismology, it looks more natural than an abrupt official announcement and means that no explanation about the three-year postponement is needed," Xu wheedled. Xu had to further convince the official that time was of the essence: "It must be published today, and will lose a lot of impact if delayed." "It's not a man-made disaster, and the deaths have no direct relation with the government," Xu insisted. The general secretary, finally convinced, did not seek instructions from higher-level officials and approved the story for publication by Xinhua. The story shocked the country and generated sharp criticism. Some government departments argued that Xinhua ought not to have "divulged a state secret." Xinhua, however, firmly supported Xu's decision to report the story. Xu said that, on the 30th anniversary of the earthquake, it is worth looking back at this unusual experience. "I hope that both the government and the media will learn a lesson from this and further improve coverage of major natural disasters and other emergencies," he said. Reporting deaths from natural calamities used to be taboo for government officials. Analysts believe that during the planned economy period from the early 1950s to the late 1970s, the government feared that exposing death figures might tarnish its image, draw blame from the public, or trigger social turmoil. But the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, and in particular the sacking of the mayor of Bejing and Minister of Health for covering up the death toll during the crisis, has prompted the government to become more transparent. Last September, the National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets and the Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly declared that death tolls in natural disasters and related information were no longer state secrets. "Society is progressing," Xu said, adding that the government has now established "openness", "transparency" and "people first" as its new principles of governance.