The devastating Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in 2008 caused a large number of school buildings to collapse, trapping hundreds and thousands of students under the rubble. It has been 17 years since the tragedy, yet the local government has not held accountable the shoddy construction of school buildings, nor has it fulfilled its promises of assistance and preferential policies to the parents of the deceased students. Those parents seeking justice have repeatedly faced suppression. On May 12, the parents of the deceased students gathered once again on the anniversary of the earthquake to mourn their lost children and continue their fight for justice.
According to Radio Free Asia, on the morning of May 12, parents of students who perished at Dujiangyan Juyuan Middle School and Fuxin No. 2 Primary School in Mianzhu City returned to the site of Dujiangyan Juyuan Middle School as they did in previous years to mourn their children. Local authorities and police had set up barricades near the site early in the morning, obstructing the parents from holding their memorial activities.
Lu Qianliang’s mother, Zhou Xingrong, recorded the situation on that day in a video. “Today is the memorial day for the students and teachers who were victims of the shoddy construction at Dujiangyan Juyuan Middle School during the Wenchuan Earthquake. We, the parents and victims, are not even allowed to come and burn paper money to mourn our children. Everywhere there are public security and staff members,” Zhou Xingrong questioned in the video, “What are they afraid of? … And where did the disaster relief funds go in the end?”
Zhou Xingrong stated that she had petitioned multiple times over the past decade but was always escorted back home by local government officials. She expressed disappointment in the lack of reception from the Central Inspection Team during their visit to Sichuan last month, as they did not meet with ordinary people or listen to their grievances. “Those intercepted and taken away by buses and police cars happen every day, and their public phone numbers are unreachable,” she said.
For over a decade, Zhou Xingrong has not given up her demands for the authorities to hold those responsible for the shoddy school construction accountable. However, she has received no response or resolution. “From top to bottom, who will listen to you regarding this shoddy construction? It’s all about suppression,” she lamented.
Deng, a parent of a student who perished at Fuxin No. 2 Primary School, voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency from the local government regarding appraisal reports and the failure to fulfill promises made to families to cover education expenses for their surviving children after the earthquake.
“They (the government) do not keep their promises,” Deng said. “They don’t want us to go to Beijing to seek justice. Our local education bureau issued us all an admission certificate that stated free schooling from kindergarten to high school. When my daughter entered high school, we submitted that document to the education bureau, and the bureau chief said it was issued by the education bureau at the time of 512, and now the bureau has changed personnel, so they (the bureau) are not responsible.”
Deng mentioned that parents were angered by the irresponsible statements from education bureau officials. Each high school student needs 65,000 yuan, and when parents protest and seek justice, “the municipal government sends people to suppress us and prevent us from appealing.”
Sang Jun, another parent of a student who perished at Fuxin No. 2 Primary School, said the issue not only affects Deng but also many families who heeded the government’s advice to have more children after the earthquake. “Regardless of staff turnover in the government, they provided each of our families with certificates like this (free admission certificates). Now, they are turning their backs and shifting blame, leaving parents feeling particularly heartbroken. If that was the case back then, we would rather not have given birth, for fear of further suffering for our children. Many parents also feel angry.”
Sang Jun mentioned that the local economy had worsened after the pandemic, and without government subsidies, many parents needed to leave their hometowns to work in order to pay for their children’s tuition and living expenses.
This incident has drawn international attention on social media platforms. Some netizens questioned, “Many donations were made by Taiwan after the Wenchuan earthquake, but the affected families did not receive the money. Where did that money go?” Others revealed, “A county government in Sichuan used disaster relief funds to buy a batch of Land Cruisers.”
On May 12, 2008, at around 14:28, a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Wenchuan and Beichuan in Sichuan. According to official reports, the earthquake resulted in 69,227 fatalities, 374,643 injuries, and 17,923 missing persons. However, according to the investigation by the private organization Bashu Alliance, the actual death toll of the Wenchuan earthquake is around 300,000, with over 30,000 student fatalities, including many preschoolers.
This earthquake was the deadliest disaster since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, following the Tangshan earthquake. Lu Biyu, a parent of a student who perished in the Wenchuan earthquake, stated in an interview with Radio Television Hong Kong in May 2021 that she firmly believes her son died due to the shoddy construction.
Moreover, before the earthquake, various anomalies were reported by civilians and were considered precursors to the earthquake. Seven employees of the Sichuan Earthquake Bureau had previously complained that they had detected signs of the earthquake several days earlier but were told by the bureau to keep that information confidential in order to maintain stability before the Olympics.