Beichuan

[Note: I started writing this post on 7/24, the day we visited Beichuan, but didn't finish it until now.]

Today we visited Beichuan, a town that was totally destroyed by the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

We are staying in the provincial capital, Chengdu. Although the earthquake was felt strongly there, no buildings collapsed and the number of deaths and injuries was very small.

Beichuan is about three hours to the northeast. The drive took us northeast on an expressway through beautiful lush fields of rice and corn interspersed with patches of melons. No sign of the disaster was visible until we left the expressway and turned toward Beichuan on the local roads.

The first indication we were close to the disaster area was vehicles of all kinds -- from trucks to motorcycle rickshaws -- carrying construction materials: cement, reinforcing rod, brick, stone, wood, tile and more. Construction sites are everywhere. Soon we began passing temporary housing for people displaced by the earthquake. These are long one-story buildings with blue metal roofs, arranged in parallel lines. Many roofs have satellite dishes, and most have a kitchen enclosure at the back covered by red, blue and white plastic sheeting. Each building looks like it houses about 20 families. These buildings replaced the tent villages that the army constructed immediately after the earthquake.

Farther along, we began to see fallen houses. Other houses were spray-painted in red with writing that said "demolish." The road became cracked and rough. We forded a river to avoid a bridge that would not support our bus.

As the road climbed into the mountains, we began to see landslides -- brown gashes in the wooded hillsides. Along the road, collapsed buildings mixed with new homes and shops. We could see rebuilding everywhere. Every few miles, we passed a newly-constructed cement plant making cement for reconstruction.

The road curved along a river that was nearly choked with silt and rocks. Backhoes dug in the riverbed to make a new channel. Across the river, we saw a new village of stone houses built in the traditional style of the Qiang, the minority group who make up most of the area's population. The road continued to climb, and we saw landslides that were wider and higher. At one point, it looked like an entire mountainside had slipped away.

At the end of another small village we came to a wall with a gate guarded by soldiers. The area beyond is closed to all but official visitors. Our group had an invitation visit the area, so the soldiers opened the gate and we drove through.

Just beyond the checkpoint was a white van. Its roof looked like it had been crushed by large boulders. We left the bus and walked about 100 yards down the road, through an area the driver thought was too narrow to drive safely. One of our guides told us the area is very dangerous, because more boulders fall down every time it rains.

The bus made it through the narrow section safely. We got on again and drove for about half a mile down the deserted road, past a faded advertisement for China Mobile of the kind you see everywhere in China. The bus rounded a corner and suddenly the town was in front of us. The bus stopped at a wide switchback and we got out.

Beichuan is, or was, located in a valley with steep mountains on three sides. Now the mountains are scarred by large landslides. The town is divided by a green river, which at one time was crossed by a suspension bridge. All that's left of the bridge is one tower. 20,000 people lived here. Now the town is deserted.

To the left of the river, in the new part of town, several new-looking apartment buildings stand tilted at odd angles. Close to the road, what had been a five story building now looks like a three story building. Landslides obliterated the bottom stories. In between is a pile of unidentifiable rubble and ashes. That is the site of the high school, where over 1,000 students were killed. On the right side of the river was the old town, where most buildings were completely or partially leveled.

Immediately in front of us next to the road was a long box filled with earth, where mourners had placed thousands of incense sticks. The air was full of the fragrance of incense. We left a bunch of white lilies and a string of cranes that the children had folded.

It is impossible to convey the sadness of this place.