On May 12th of this year, which marked the 17th anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake, many citizens of Chengdu witnessed a blood moon hanging high in the night sky.
Netizen “Jin Jin You Wei” posted a video on the evening of May 12th, saying that today is the 17th anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake, “the moon tonight is red, did everyone see it?”
Netizen “Mei Ling” also posted a video saying that on May 12th, a blood moon appeared in Chengdu.
Some netizens commented, “Why is the moon red?” “Did anyone else feel the heaviness in the atmosphere these past two days with the red moon over Chengdu?” and “5.12.”
On May 12, 2008, at around 2:28 p.m., a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan and Beichuan in Sichuan Province, causing devastation across multiple provinces including Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. The earthquake resulted in the collapse of many substandard school buildings, leading to a tragic loss of students’ lives.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, as of 12:00 on September 25, 2008, the Wenchuan Earthquake had claimed 69,227 lives, injured 374,643 people, and left 17,923 missing. However, according to investigations by the civilian organization Bashu Alliance, the actual death toll from the earthquake was around 300,000, with over 30,000 student deaths, many of whom were in kindergarten.
Despite 17 years passing since the earthquake, the local government not only failed to hold accountable those responsible for the substandard construction of schools but also delayed the implementation of promised financial assistance and preferential policies for the parents of the deceased students. On every May 12th memorial day, parents of the deceased students who gather at the earthquake site outside the schools to mourn their lost children have faced repeated suppression by the authorities. These parents have nowhere to seek justice for their grievances.
The phenomenon of the moon appearing red or orange is commonly referred to as “blood moon.” Throughout history, the occurrence of a blood moon has been considered an omen of great calamity. According to Jing Fang, a master of Han dynasty divination, in his work “Zhou Yi Yao Zhan,” he wrote: “When the moon changes color, red signifies disputes and battles, ice, red gas covering the moon like blood. Severe drought will cause starvation for miles.” This suggests that when the moon turns red, it may indicate the onset of two types of disasters, one being war, conflict, or ice calamities, and the other, drought.
In China, instances of “blood moons” have been documented previously. For example, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 21, 2021, a large and round red moon hung in the sky to the east of Chengdu. On October 17, 2024, the moon appeared orange-red at Longquan Mountain, with residents also witnessing a blood moon in August of the same year.