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Eyewitness to China’s Earthquake - Spotlight on Shoddy Construction (and Government)
by John E. Carey | May 16, 2008 at 05:38 am | 845 views | 13 comments
With the danger from last Tuesday’s earthquake receding and withstanding intermittent aftershocks, the focus of the physical effort has been directed to the rescuing of survivors trapped inside collapsed buildings.
The focus of the media coverage, especially the television news coverage, has been directed to the massive human mobilization and the courage of those lucky enough to have escaped with their lives and their health.
The television coverage is well choreographed and includes slow motion replays and even slower motion replays of survivors and rescuers, their suffering, their despair and their triumphs, all accompanied to a background of resonant, uplifting music complete with French horns, drums and violins.
A mother carries her baby past damaged buildings in the town of Beichuan which has been cut off after a powerful earthquake struck. China said Thursday that over 50,000 people had likely died in the devastating earthquake that hit its southwest as time runs out to save survivors buried in the rubble of broken communities.
Such a highly sentimental approach to the coverage here is to be expected and therefore it comes as no surprise, as indeed does any technical analysis of building structural reliability as a contributing factor to the final quake toll, whatever this figure may come to, not rating a single mention as far as I can tell, also not coming as a surprise.
For the record, my intuitive calculation of the likely outcome for that figure, based on the number of significant towns in the quake zone, likely numbers of people residing there and bearing in mind that in China all the number are big, leads me to imagine a toll quite easily reaching or surpassing one hundred thousand.
Just whether the true figure will ever be known I discuss below.
Quality standards or their absence is something that Chinese residents understand well enough, at least on the consumption side of that equation.
In some of the outlying regions of the quake zone, residents have still been directed not to return to their apartments for fear of structural failure, even though their apartments may show little or no sign of structural change.
More generally, consumers do appreciate that the materials and the work quality of a consumer product may well be inferior, thus leading them to a buying decision often based upon price alone - and the lower the better.
It is that expectation that may well lie behind questionable building standards here, driven down by a desire for the lowest cost, but there are other causes too.
In any case, just what can one expect in a developing third world country, where any county official and on-the-make business person can ignore central government directives and act to perpetuate their self interests.
It now becomes evident the reasons why officials would be intent on understating the casualty figures.
It is not just a matter of containing social unrest. There is a genuine fear of repercussions.
Everywhere I have traveled throughout China, I am struck by the massive commitment to infrastructure development, notably apartment blocks with shops and department stores beneath. The push for development here is enormous and so enabling the well connected to make their fortunes from the construction boom.
Not uncommon fixtures on the landscape are the part completed project buildings standing empty for several months or years, because a developer absconded with the money.
It hardly matters that there may be national, uniform building codes or even a code for quake resistant buildings like schools, which I very much doubt, judging from the appearance of schools that I’ve seen that just resemble any other rectangular concrete block building.
Away from the main industrial centers, workshops for casting concrete spans can be very rudimentary indeed.In the towns that I have traveled through, I am struck by the absence of evolution in building construction techniques. No wide spans and open interiors.
Older buildings are often clad with ceramic tiles but so are the new ones! Air conditioning units are bolted to the building exterior walls, often crudely. In the earthquake affected towns that I have traveled through, building cladding and pieces of concrete littered the sidewalks.
If you are inside such a building and tried to escape, you might in fact have been able to in the absence of a shower of falling debris.
There is an old Chinese saying that goes - “The mountains are high and the emperor is far away”.
It really does mean what it says.
This is still the wild west.
Written by Mr. Les Lothringer, President, West/Asia Strategy Consultants, in China.
Transmitted to Peace and Freedom for internet distribution outside China's "Internet Great Wall."
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May 16, 2008 at 05:38 am by John E. Carey, 845 views, 13 comments
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Comments (13)
at 07:11 on May 16th, 2008
John E. Carey, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 11:02 on May 16th, 2008
John E. Carey, I like this story. It's good stuff. Thank the writer as well
at 11:18 on May 16th, 2008
The writer much appreciates the fact that we are reading his work. He is from "Down Under" and has lived in China longer than me....
at 11:12 on May 16th, 2008
Shoddy construction equates to not having the money to do it right, so what does one do? Do nothing? Better to have some sort of roof even shoddy, than nothing is the outlook.
So people are suppose to go and do work for free in China, steal tools from each other, steal their means of transportation, such as bikes, and motorcycles, which are the highest theft articles.
There are so many people here in China, trying to get anything done is major task in itself. Simply getting to the bank to stand in lines takes the entire morning or afternoon. Blaming the leadership in Beijing has nothing to do with it. If China suddenly became a Democracy overnight and the Private Sector granted all its hearts desire, there would still be the same problem, and I dare say worse than it is now. Earthquakes would still happen, and the poverty would still still be amongst them.
Who are you John? A disaster happens and the first thing people do is blame the government! What is it with people in not understanding that nothing is perfect in this world, no governement is better than the other, and really the only thing we do have is each other to try and make life a little better for each other, until the next disaster strikes.
Instead we kick people when they are injured, level insults toward leaders trying to make a difference in helping the people, and sit back and think how freaking superior we are are for writing such a well thought out article in bashing China.
Well you know what? You are wrong, and something is really messed up in your head.
at 11:16 on May 16th, 2008
Many may take issue with your view. There is lots of money in China and much money was made by China's government and building trades -- especially in the last several years. I cannot and will not defend this process which has exploited and not helpped the poor of China and made others rich.
at 11:45 on May 16th, 2008
And so Americans don't do that? Americans are not the ones who have started the expanse into China? America is not the one who has China dog chained to the world energy prices? You are wrong John.
How do the poor pay for gas to do construction projects? They can't compete. The dollar is 7 xs more than the yuan, and so you can see the problem just in obtaining energy. You think the rich Chinese really are rich? They are poor compared to American money. It would take 1000 Iraq War debts that the US has compiled to equate helping even half of the poor people in China. Sichuan is but a speck of the entire population that lives in poverty..... Education is another issue and another big hurdle that costs billions, never mind the construction costs. Never mind the road building, and electrical energy consumption that would take place. It is so massive, you have not really seen China....to go on your way to bashing it.
It's easy to bash, its much harder to try to do something constructive to make positive change. And that's where the struggle is.
I see the comparison now China has crappy buildings because they don't have the money to pay for high energy fuel cost in construction and labor, and so the buildings fall down during an earthquake, but Americans have very fine standards, so fine in fact that the price of homes in America is so high that nobody can afford living in them. In fact 65% of Americans have been evicted because of the inability to make payment on their mortgages.
Who creates the jobs in China John? You? There is a billion plus people. America can't create jobs for it's 250 million Stateside, and we are to believe the rhetoric you dish out on China as being debunked and a twisted country ruled by Commies as the reason to their plight?
Think again John...It's not about government, its not about who is better, its about who can help who in this life regardless of our situation. And that means doing it without a gun in one hand, and bible in the other.
at 12:02 on May 16th, 2008
I believe one point John made was that the government is too far from the people, specifically where law enforcement applies. What blame I saw in this story was leveled at greedy business owners/developers absconding with construction monies, enriching themselves instead of finishing buildings.
at 12:12 on May 16th, 2008
The government is not too far away from the people .Actually ,minister Wen arrived in Sichuan 6 hours after the earthquake starts .
If the government is far away from the people ,how come china can overcome this disaster in such a short time ?
at 12:30 on May 16th, 2008
what do you mean by overcome? There are still so many things to do in these areas, starting with pulling survivors from buildings before it is too late for them.
at 12:35 on May 16th, 2008
Dear Djermano ,
First of all ,positive change comes from positive thoughts !
Don't speak just like u have been in China since u were born .And don't wanna talk about Chinese economics with the knowledge based on the theorys !
There is always an exception .And China is a typical example .How much u know about its people and its history ?And how much u know about its policys ?
U know chinese people is poor ?Woo ,we chinese people r so poor that we can not afford the education ,the road building .....Plus People there r looking forward its government to give them money ?
Ur totally wrong !Just have a look at how much donation chinese government has received from it's people during the past 80 hours ---3,175,000,000yuan .
How much donation chinese government get from other countries ?---680,000,000yuan (Oh ,thanks Bush's government for its 3,500,000 yuan donation ---what a great deal of money !hahaha)
Chinese people knows clearly about how to help each other .Chinese people think their country as their mother ---when the mother is in danger ,no one will stand still !And every chinese will work together to help the government .
China has its own economics process which is different from any one in this world .Its economics never follow other countries .
Never think economics as a simple topic where the economics theorys can be used in anywhere .When the discussion comes to China ,u'd better check some books about its culture ,and history .
Yuanyuan
at 12:50 on May 16th, 2008
Mikasi ,
Yeah ,it's true that there r still vicitims who r waiting for the rescue .But chinese people and government have been trying to reduce the damage to the lowest level .
"If only there is the slightest hope, we will spare no effort; if only there is one survivor in the debris, we will never give up," Premier Wen Jiabao said over the debris of a collapsed school building where hundreds were buried on May13
From top leaders to men in the street, from sweaty rescuers to dying victims, the entire Chinese nation is praying for miracles.
Since Monday, thousands of lives were taken and as many were saved.
It's unrealistic to save all the vicitims at the same time as soon as the quake happened .All we can do is save them as fast as we can .
When the disaster came ,the government didnot keep silent ---There r live news about quake in TV 24/7 ;The soldiors r hurring here and there to rescue and lift the vicitims ;The workers came from other parts of China and help to rebuild the electrical energy ,the roads ...
In fact ,from this earthquake , we all can see there is a great relationship between chinese government and its people.
at 13:47 on May 16th, 2008
Dear Djermano ,
First of all ,positive change comes from positive thoughts !
Of course it does, but I am not going to take China bashing sitting on my hands.
Don't speak just like u have been in China since u were born .And don't wanna talk about Chinese economics with the knowledge based on the theorys !
.....I wasn't born in China, but it sure feels like it at times, after I left my home in New York after 911 hit. I have been here since. My wife is Chinese and she is from Sichuan, so I know the pain she feels now. I fail to see what you are talking about in economics and theories? I am a citizen resident of Nanning, having been granted citizenship by Nanning Government. In August I will become a Chinese Citizen.
There is always an exception .And China is a typical example .How much u know about its people and its history ?And how much u know about its policys ?
I think I know quite a bit about Chinese history. I know that Britain and America forced China to accept Opium and drugs in their country having killed thousands of chinese, and ran China into the dirt from addiction. I know they stole land areas from China, named Hong Kong, and Kowloon, and to this day they say not a word of their bad behavior or apologize. I also know that the Opium trade is what caused WWI and WWII. I also believe that the reason Japan attacked China was to oust Britain and American Control over the government. In fact it succeeded in forming the Communist Party started by Chairman Mao, and ousted not only Britain, the USA, and the Kuomingtang, but ultimately the Japanese as well.
U know chinese people is poor ?Woo ,we chinese people r so poor that we can not afford the education ,the road building .....Plus People there r looking forward its government to give them money ?
I never said the Chinese people are looking for the China govenment to give them money. In fact it was a comparison to America with its high value dollar forcing chinese to pay high fuel costs, because the US dollar controls Oil prices throughout the world. I blame America for the poverty in China because of high fuel prices.
Ur totally wrong !Just have a look at how much donation chinese government has received from it's people during the past 80 hours ---3,175,000,000yuan .
....I am very much aware of how the Chinese people stick together and help each other. That is one of the finer qualities of China and its culture, unlike America who is always bashing each other, and being totally unsupportive to each other. America is a divided nation.
How much donation chinese government get from other countries ?---680,000,000yuan (Oh ,thanks Bush's government for its 3,500,000 yuan donation ---what a great deal of money !hahaha)
Chinese people knows clearly about how to help each other .Chinese people think their country as their mother ---when the mother is in danger ,no one will stand still !And every chinese will work together to help the government . I donated money myself.
China has its own economics process which is different from any one in this world .Its economics never follow other countries . I know and I say thank god for that!
Never think economics as a simple topic where the economics theorys can be used in anywhere .When the discussion comes to China ,u'd better check some books about its culture ,and history .
I am writing a book that has issues of China in it...It's called "Inside History": America Defenders of a Criminal Past.
Yuanyuan
at 16:15 on May 16th, 2008
Thanks to all who read and commented. Agree or disagree, this has been a good exchange of views.