Disaster Relief Materials Allocation Center ---the Base Camp for Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief of Dujiangyan City

 

The first batch materials arrived in the dark night with cloudburst, including stretcher, styptic bandage, gauze, adhesive tape and pain easing injection, etc. With insufficient manpower for discharging goods, mid-level cadres and strong male employees from Hairong Pharmaceutical Company who had not relieved from terror, fear and hunger became the main force to discharge goods one truck after another. No one was claiming for tiredness. They set their teeth as they knew that they were seizing life from the hand of Azrael…

 

With it was getting bright with rain getting smaller gradually, the relief materials were acutely increasing. The factory of Hairong Pharmaceutical Company became the ocean overflowed with relief materials on the second day of the earthquake. "Citizens from Chengdu City who got known of the disaster situation by radio and TV drove to Dujiangyan to contribution their love in succession with roads from the factory to the highway exit filled with thickly dotted vehicles," Xu Lian was still filled with all sorts of feelings up to now whenever talking about the scene at that time.  

 

With the materials were converging, some rescue forces were also gathering here rapidly. The reservists in the neighborhood arrived firstly with the army soldiers, armed policeman, firefighters, public security officers, medical rescuers and government officials available in succession. Besides, a large batch of volunteers also arrived here. A few of them stayed, the majority was marching toward the severe disaster area such as Wenchuan and Yingxiu with provisions. Members of the Economic Safeguard Team of Hairong Pharmaceutical Company were initially keeping watch independently at the door. When the army soldiers arrived, they just assisted in keeping watch to maintain the factory in order. "About 10,000 people at most entered and got off the factory and over 1500 people were residing at tents within the factory" as said by the team leader Liu Yong. 

 

Initially the porter’s lodge was empty out to stock materials, then a hall of 2000m2 on the first floor of the office building was empty out, and then the large plaza before the office building, a green belt of 4000m2 along the road and the sight lawn of 5000m2 in the center of the factory were all available for material deposit or rescuers residence. Two finished product warehouses, a drug material warehouse, a repository and a constant temperature warehouse, over 10,000m2 in total, were also used to deposit materials. "We stated to the control headquarter that we would strive to satisfy any requirement as long as it was demanded by the earthquake resistance and disaster relief" as said by Xue Li’an. 

 

With the residence of a large number of persons and materials, the supply of such infrastructure as water and power became rather urgent. Meng Hua, 53 years old now, was the engineering technician of Hairong Pharmaceutical Company responsible for water and power maintenance. His family was at Dujiangyan. He left upon approval of the department leaders in the afternoon of the earthquake occurrence to seek family members. What was fortunate was that his mother over 80 years old, brothers and sisters and their family members were also subject to no injury in the earthquake except some loss of the house and furniture. As advised by his brother-in-law, they drove to take refuge to Chengdu. The farther to Dujiangyan, he was feeling more anxious. "I was quarreling with my brother-in-law at the feet of Qingcheng Mountain because he was discouraging me from coming back. I have affections with Hairong Pharmaceutical Company. I always believed that I could only lead a good life when the unit was in good status. What would be done in case I was demanded by the factory in such a serious earthquake? " Mr. Meng described the exact circumstance to the reporter. 

 

Meng Hua returned to the factory in the afternoon of the second day. Water supply was resumed in partial urban areas of Dujiangyan on May 14. The first thing that Meng Hua had to do was to climb to the roof of the six-storey office building to block the water tower under leakage, repair the drinking water pipes so as to enable water available to workers in the disaster relief center and soldiers residing at the factory as well as the medical rescuers as soon as possible. "The aftershocks were happening one after another. My legs were trembling when climbing. I was greatly afraid and tended to get down as soon as the pipes were repaired." Nevertheless, I could not make it although I was feeling rather worried. The pipes were finally available upon rush maintenance for a whole day. 

 

Meng Hua rushed to repair the power line on May 15. Blind lines were adopted in pharmaceutical enterprise factories and pipe line layer set between storey with all pipe lines were centralized therein for the sake of safety without the exception of the power lines. Meng Hua of 53 years old had to climb again and almost fell down from the pipe line interlayer for several times in the aftershock. When the power line in the pipe line layer could work, the remaining thing was to pull electrical wires to each tent. "I didn’t have time to eat and had to finish my work in a day that can be completed in two or three days because too many people outside were waiting for using electricity" as said by Meng Hua who repaired all the power lines in the office building, the living area and the dormitory and paved electrical wires for almost 2000m to the tent area in a day. 

 

What was urgent to repair like the water and electricity was the toilet. With thousands of people were residing at the factory without water at the beginning or the portable toilet, all the toilets available in the factory were overflowed with dejecta. "Guys of our Economic Safeguard Team took turns to wash out the toilets with two members a group. The dejecta was almost to pour into our high boots at the beginning; and it took at least four to five hours to wash up one time" as said by the team leader Liu Yong, under whose leadership, guys washed up the toilets by carrying water from the river until a large batch of portable toilets were available. 

 

In the morning of May 20, Li Keqiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Political Bureau, Vice Premier of the State Council and Deputy Director of the General Control Headquarter for Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief, arrived at the allocation center for disaster relief materials at Dujiangyan to carry out the survey and completely recognized the work of the center. All the on-site rescuers and employees of Hairong Pharmaceutical Company were greatly encouraged. The donated materials with cares of national people from various places of the country converged here and were then distributed to various disaster-affected points in such short 10 days, which closely connected the heart of national people with those of the disaster-affected areas. Who would not feel proud and glorious by devoting to their heart’s content in such as great battle of earthquake resistance and disaster relief? 

 

Continuous Assistances from YRPG to Conquer Difficulties Together 

 

Xue Li’an never stopped his contacts with the general company after his farewell to President Xu Jingren. As the communication was interrupted every now and then after the earthquake, he had to make decision at first and then reported to the general company for instruction. Xu Jingren instructed Xue Li’an to completely support the local government in the earthquake assistance and disaster relief, whatever manpower or material. 

 

In the early morning of May 13, Xue Li’an decided to donate over 100 boxes of Azithromycin Capsule and partial styptics to Hongkou Town, Longchi Town and Xiang’e Town in the neighborhood of Dujiangyan City. Then he appointed person to report the situation to the general company together with the disaster situation of Dujiangyan City and Sichuan Province as well.  

 

The rapid assistance was also carrying out in the general company at Taizhou, thousands of miles away. In the afternoon of May 12, Xu Jingren made the decision of donating drugs of 10 million Yuan to the disaster-affected area for the first time when he was aware of the earthquake and requested to distribute the latest drugs as mostly demanded by the disease incidence in the disaster-affected area at top speed.

 

Drugs of 10 million Yuan including 17 varieties such as the styptics, antibiotics and analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs were loaded on 4 trucks at 8:50pm on May 13 to be transported to Sichuan in the same evening. In order to guarantee the arrival of such drugs as soon as possible, Yang Wangrong, Secretary of CPC Committee of the group’s transportation company, led the team in person. Each truck was equipped with two drives so as to guarantee the continual drive and finally arrived at Chengdu at 1:30am on May 15 after the urgent drive beyond 2000km. The drugs were rapidly distributed to Dujiangyan and Mianyang City. In the morning of May 14, six trucks loaded with 3862 boxes of strategic reservation drugs and YRPG’s enthusiasm for patriotic relief were bound for Chengdu again. The strategic reservation drugs were to be appropriated by the Health Department, General Logistics Department of PLA. In order to save time, YRPG even equipped the team with the oil tank trust to guarantee the transportation day and night. 

 

At the same of the urgent transportation of the love vehicle team to Sichuan day and night, the general company of YRPG also carried out an activity of money and blood donation by financing about 3 million Yuan and donating blood of 50,000cc in such a short day that was delivered to the disaster-affected area for the first time. 

 

As directed by President Xu Jingren, employees of Sichuan natives from Hairong Pharmaceutical Company were removed to Taizhou, Jiangsu where the general company was located from Chongqing ever since May 14. Du Xiaocui, a native of Mianyang City as mentioned above, was removed to Jiangsu upon approval of her family members. Her parents said "the enterprise is treating you so well and asking you to remove to Jiangsu which is much safer than here. You just go." In the evening upon their arrival, President Xu Jingren treated them well and asked them to set their heart at rest at the general company to study more and then return to Sichuan after the alarming release. Du Xiaocui said "when I was getting off the train and saw the banner at the general company stating ‘Welcome Hairong Back Home’, my tears got off immediately". 

 

In the activity of "Voluntary Symphony Music Performance for Earthquake Resistance and Disaster Relief---for the Mothers and Children" held at Beijing on May 22, Xue Li’an, on behalf of YGPR and Sichuan Hairong Pharmaceutical Company donated drugs of 5 million Yuan again to Wenchuan, the earthquake-affected place to help the disaster-affected people, especially to help mothers and children get rid of the grief there and reconstruct their family. The activity was initiated and hosted by National Population and Family Planning Commission of China and other units and successfully financed RMB44.83million in terms of fund and materials. "It is the first time that I left Dujiangyan after the earthquake" as said by Xue Li’an.

 

Here Are Filled with Boundless Love and True Feelings

 

Hairong Pharmaceutical Company received a batch of special guests in the evening of June 4, German experts and Chinese doctors and nurses from Sino-German Red Cross Field Hospital. "We invited them to have a dinner together as a kind of comfort because our condition is relatively better" Xue Li’an introduced, "as it is the special time for earthquake resistance and disaster relief, these foreign experts and Chinese doctors and nurses are living at tent and eat the same as those disaster-affected people, which has impressed us a lot". 

 

Sino-German Red Cross Field Hospital was established with the assistance of German Red Cross Association and open for official operation on May 26 as the first international hospital of Dujiangyan City. Located at Dujiangyan Tianfu Avenue, the hospital had 120 beds and was available for 200 sufferers at the same time. It could provide medical services for 200,000 people. With 11 German experts, 42 doctors and nurses from Shanghai Huashan Hospital and partial doctors and nurses from the People’s Hospital of Dujiangyan City, "Sino-German Red Cross Field Hospital delivered a fat boy infant safely for the pregnant woman with the family name Zhang from Shuanghuaishu Village, Puyang Town, Dujiangyan City on the fifth day after it was open. The family named the infant as ‘Fang Zhongde’ in order to appreciate the field hospital. I intended to comfort them at that time." as said by Xue Li’an. 

 

A very interesting episode happened during the dinner. It was the 49th birthday of Mr. Clauth, General Designer of Sino-German Red Cross Field Hospital and Expert of German Red Cross Association on June 4. When doctors and nurses brought the birthday cake as prepared elaborately in advance and lighted the birthday candles for him, the middle-aged foreign expert was obviously moved with tears in eyes when addressing. After the dinner, Mr. Clauth told the reporter that it was the first time he’d been in China. He knew little about the county and thought it could be similar to Africa, but now, the impression was completely different. "I’M SO HAPPY TODAY", as emphasized by Mr. Clauth. 

 

After the dinner, Hairong Pharmaceutical Company donated tens of boxes of daily articles and drugs including essential balm on the spot to Sino-German Red Cross Field Hospital. Xue Li’an said "I cannot remember the times of such small-sized donations at Dujiangyan City". 

 

Things that Xue Li’an cannot remember were clearly memorized by those benefited from the company. A battalion initiator of a department of PLA Air Force refused the reporter’s interview for confidential purpose; but when he heard that the reporter just tended to get known something related to military-civilian joint efforts between Hairong Pharmaceutical Company and PLA soldiers, he received the interview upon approval of his leader. "We’re primarily responsible for safeguarding and goods discharge after our arrival on May 13. The most difficulty was the shortage of water and electricity power after our arrival; but Hairong Pharmaceutical Company solved it in the shortest time. " as said by the initiator. What had the company helped to solve was far beyond these difficulties. When they found the temporary tents where the soldiers were living were too crowded and established on flat field, they emptied out a sloping field within the factory to enable these soldiers to establish new tents. "The people’s army won the war without the people’s support in the past, now the people’s support also cannot win the new success in the earthquake resistance and disaster relief without the people’s support." Signed the young initiator. 

 

A special army was resided within the factory, partial doctors and nurses of the general hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Amy, which included key members transferred respectively from No. 301 Hospital, No. 304 Hospital and No. 309 Hospital. They were not active at various medical rescue points but active at the relief front, the most dangerous places. Later than 8pm, June 5 when receiving our reporter’s interview, Senior Colonel Luan Fuxin, Deputy Director of No. 304 Hospital said "our doctors and nurses are very toilsome. They usually entered villages to diagnose at risk of their life or went to the relief front in small teams by rubber boat; therefore, they would feel very comfortable even residing intent upon their return to the greenbelt. As a result, we really appreciate the company’s help". During the conversation, his phone rang with order from the control headquarter for rescuing the crashed helicopter in request of four doctors to the rescue site immediately to provide medical guarantee for the rescue team. "It seemed that we could talk in detail after we return to Beijing", Deputy Director Luan completed the interview in a rush and when the reporter asked when he would return to Beijing, he replied "we will fight to the last moment." 

 

"We’ll Work as the Vanguard in Reconstructing Our Home"

 

With the deepened development of the earthquake relief at various places nationwide, the home reconstruction was uncurtained. Secretary General Hu Jintao presided over the conference of Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC to study the deployment of the earthquake resistance and disaster relief as well as the reconstruction after disaster on May 26. In the conference, it proposed that "enterprises in the disaster-affected area shall develop independently and survived by themselves on the condition of guaranteeing the safety so as to resume the industrial and agricultural production as soon as possible" Chairman Xu Jingren called Xue Li’an again after watching the news and proposed definitely that "we’ll work as the vanguard in reconstructing our home". 

 

Hairong Pharmaceutical Company was subject to no injury and death in the earthquake but serious equipment loss. The machinery damages of two high speed centrifugal machines, the complete deformation of four micro- particle pulverizers, continuously variable transmission, main frame bearing and sub-bearing; the motor damage of the concentration cauldron, the deformation to different extent of a pelleting machine, motor, bearing and gears, the overall collapse of a pure steam generator and the failure of interlocks, etc. exceeded 10 million Yuan in total; besides, some employees were frightened by the earthquake and afraid of standing close the wall. Thus how could it be easy to resume the production? Nevertheless, Xue Li’an deeply knew that Hairong Pharmaceutical Company was the largest enterprise of its kind at Dujiangyan. Its each action would be greatly concerned by the disaster-affected people. Only the production was resumed, could it be possible to greatly reinforce their confidence to get rid of the earthquake and resume the normal life, greatly inspire their courage to resume the production and reconstruct their home so as to make new contributions to the earthquake resistance and disaster relief. 

 

Employees of Hairong Pharmaceutical Company were mobilized rapidly with those evacuated to Taizhou Jiangsu returning promptly. The architecture experts had evaluated the factory safety of the Company after the earthquake with all buildings within the factory marked with green, the symbol of availability. What Xue Li’an had to do was to clean the factory, check, repair and test machines. On June 1, a German expert was invited to Dujiangyan from Guangzhou to carry out the final repair of a pelleting machine model losing procedures. Engineers of the Company had already conquered various difficulties to examine and test various equipment and establishments one by one to resume their normal functions gradually in advance. Employees, no matter which department they originally belonged to, all entered the workshop to clean and disinfect the environment. 

 

Lansoprazole tablets, a special drug for curing gastric ulcer, duodenum ulcer and reflux esophagitis, were under formal internal and external package in the solid preparation workshop on June 2. 100 pieces of Lansoprazole tablets, worthy 1 million Yuan was officially settled on the same day; and the production line remained the capacity of about 100 pieces a day in the next few days. "Our solid preparation workshop could produce Simvastatin capsules and Azithromycin capsules etc. We would introduce more advanced package equipment in the future to further increase our work efficiency. Taking Lansoprazole tablets for example, our capacity would be increased to 300 pieces a day upon the introduction of new equipment. " as said by Zhang Jian, Director of the Solid Preparation Workshop.  

 

"Hairong Pharmaceutical Company has been enjoying the most flourishing period ever since the last year. Our output target is 200 million Yuan for this year. We just accomplished the output of 80 million Yuan before the earthquake." Xue Li’an said, "the earthquake affected us greatly; but we’re confident of working overtime in the remaining days to accomplish the tasks assigned by the general company with stipulated quality and quantity so as to accomplish the output target of this year."

 

According to the unified deployment by YRPG, the general company of YRPG would deliver a new product---Jingqianping Granules, a pure TCM preparation specifically for treating the female’s premenstral syndrome to Hairong Pharmaceutical Company for production for the second half year. The drug was certified as obvious curative effect and awarded the second prize of National Science & Technology Progress Award; at present, it was proved by clinic practice to have exact curative effect for treating the female’s premenstral syndrome. At that time, Hairong Pharmaceutical Company would have heavier production assignment. At present, Hairong Pharmaceutical Company was cooperating with Dujiangyan Science and Technology Bureau, the Economic Bureau, the Pharmaceutical Institute of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the West China School of Pharmacy to prepare the investment of RMB80million to create a platform for producing, processing and trading Chinese traditional herbs and TCM decoction pieces of West Sichuan Province at Dujiangyan. As planned by the project, the domestic and overseas market development of such Chinese medicinal herbs as rhizoma ligustici Chuanxiong, "three woods" (cortex magnoliae officinalis, eucommia bark and amur cork-tree bark) , hairy antler and bear gall from Northwest China, TCM decoction pieces and TCM extracts, the development of Chinese medicinal herbs from A’ba, Ganzi and Liangshanzhou as well as the national medicine market would be all brought into the project to develop and use such herbs by means of modern science and technology and a more marketization manner. At the same time, Dujiangyan would become a brand new development center of Chinese medicinal herbs of Southwest China. The economic reconstruction of the city after the earthquake would be greatly promoted as a result. 

 

"Only the toughest grass can stand strong winds, only the character of a man can be tested in adversity." Sichuan Hairong Pharmaceutical Company and her general company---YRPG faithfully stood together with the disaster-affected people to fight against the earthquake together and strive to resume the production and reconstruct the family garden in face of such a tremendous disaster. They’d demonstrated the true feelings of the national enterprise to their own nation with actions. They’d written a new chapter of "any difficulty would not daunt the hero Chinese people" with actions. 

 

When the reporters left Dujiangyan City, the vehicle control had been initiated in the city. Vehicles from other places except those for rescue purpose were only permitted to drive out without the approval of relevant department. The onerous efforts for earthquake resistance and disaster relief were far from completion. The next work was to reconstruct our family garden, which would be also very onerous; but we believed that the disaster-affected people would survive and conquer the difficulties, China would get an overall success in the battle of earthquake resistance and disaster relief as long as numerous enterprises as loyal as Hairong Pharmaceutical Company and YRPG were existing with the joint efforts of numerous hero Chinese compatriots and the active assistance and help of numerous international friends at meanwhile.