TANGSHAN: Thirty years after the devastating earthquake residents in this 
North China city nurse mixed feelings. While they mourn the loss of family and 
friends, they bear long-standing gratitude to their rescuers and pride in their 
achievements.
This feeling reached a climax on Friday, July 28. In the early morning of 
this day in 1976 the industrial city in Hebei Province was levelled by the 
deadliest earthquake of the 20th century, in which at least 240,000 people lost 
their lives.
"The quake is a catastrophe in human history, but it failed to crush the 
spirit of the heroic Tangshan people," Bai Keming, chief of the Hebei Provincial 
Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), told a commemorative ceremony.
The city has picked up the pieces and is thriving again, thanks to the care 
and concern of the central government, selfless support from all walks of life 
throughout the country, and Tangshan people's hard work, Bai said.
For one thing, Tangshan's gross domestic product grew by 15.1 per cent 
year-on-year to reach 202.7 billion yuan (US$25.3 billion) in 2005, ranking it 
first place in Hebei. The economy has grown 25-fold since 1975, a year before 
the quake, official statistics indicate.
Building on its current achievements, Bai pledged that Tangshan would show 
the world a "miracle" by speeding up its economic and social development in the 
years ahead.
Bai said: "30 years on, we've never forgotten the victims of the tragedy, but 
we should carry on our lives with courage, confidence and hope."
Zhang He, secretary of the Tangshan municipal committee of the CPC, singled 
out the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as the "most adored people" at Friday's 
commemorative gathering.
At least 100,000 servicemen rushed to the ruins of Tangshan to save lives and 
help rebuild the city immediately after the quake.
Friday's activities also included presenting flower baskets to the monument 
for the citizens and rescuers that died.
Hundreds of people gathered around the monument square in the centre of the 
city.
Among them was Tian Baolin, 71, whose wife was paralyzed by the earthquake. 
He pedalled a tricycle for 3 hours from their suburban home to witness the 
flower-laying ceremony.
Tian said he wanted to show his wife what the city looks like now.
Stephen Hammes, a businessman from Tangshan's sister city in the United 
States, Cedar Rapids of Iowa state, said he was surprised how modern the city 
now is.
He said Tangshan had done an "excellent job" in engineering and architecture 
to help the city withstand future earthquakes, and also educate ordinary people 
how to protect themselves should disaster strike again.
(China Daily 07/29/2006 page1)