The Children of China's Quake

The shoddy construction of many schools in the quake zone contributed to countless deaths, created scores of grieving parents and a political quandary for the Chinese leadership.

Collapsed
A high school in Yingxiu lies in a heap after the May 12 earthquake. Many people living in the areas hit hardest by the disaster have asserted that officials have long known that the school buildings were unsafe.   Bitter Memento
Drawings by children cling to the wall of a Hanwang elementary school ripped apart by the quake. Three schools in the city were demolished in the tragedy, which took place during the middle of a school day.   Grief
A mother wails while holding a framed photograph of her child, one of 127 children killed in the collapse of Fuxing Number Two Elementary School in Mianzhu.   Makeshift Shrine
The parents of children who perished in Fuxing Elementary School erect a tent with photos and school desks in memory of their lost loved ones.   At a Loss
A parent stands with a portrait of her lost son in the debris of Fuxing Elementary.   United
Parents in Mianzhu attend a ceremony in honor of their children.   http://www.tuhigh.com/forum/revertForum/1436/51   .......