Kunming mourns victims of terror
Print Edition
YANG Heliang’s final journey home stopped by the river that runs by his home village in Honghe Yi Ethnic Prefecture in Yunnan Province.
Originally from Chegu Village in Honghe, Yang, 21, a junior student, worked as an intern in Kunming. He was seeing a friend off at the Kunming Rail Station when he was killed in the terror attack a week ago. His body was cremated on Tuesday.
In Yi tradition, those who die outside their village and who are not married cannot be taken home for their funeral. Yang’s remains will stay on the Kunming side of the river.
“I hope the government will scatter his ashes where there is a mountain, a river and trees,” said Yang’s uncle Li Xinsheng. “Kunming is a big city and it’s the place where he lost his life, so we let him stay there.”
His parents took home his certificate of merit and ID card. Apart from the ID card, they burned all his belongings.
“Nothing of the boy was kept. Part of the reason is tradition, but we don’t want our sorrow to be evoked by the sight of his things,” said another uncle Yang Shuoqian.
Yang Heliang was scheduled to graduate next year and become an accountant.
“We scrimped and saved to afford your tuition, but you have left us alone,” wailed Li Huanong, the boy’s mother.
The family now only has Yang’s disabled elder brother. Yang was their only hope for a change in their lives, but those dreams ended on March 1.
The slashing and stabbing at the Kunming station happened at night, and came without any warning. After a few frenzied minutes, 29 people lay dead or dying and 143 others were injured.
Yang’s funeral was held at the riverside on Thursday, with parents and relatives burning incense and chanting for his soul. They hope his soul will cross the Lethe, the river of oblivion that was believed to flow in the underworld, leaving his sorrows in the water as he is reborn.
Yesterday, families of victims and the general public gathered to mourn at the scene of the attack. A traditional Chinese belief is that the souls of the dead return home to bid a final farewell on the seventh day after death.
On the square in front of the railway station, Zhou Guanghua, 78, an ethnic Hui, was paying his respects to those who were killed.
“I just want to have a look and send them off,” said Zhou, straining to make out what was written on the many wreathes piled up around the famous golden bull statue which guards the station entrance.
One wreath of white roses and lilies caught his attention. Its card read, “Mourning the victims of Kunming terrorist attack.” The sender was the Consulate General of the United States in Chengdu.
On the ground, glasses of baijiu, a Chinese spirit, were placed next to red and white candles.
“It is a tradition to bring some strong drink on such occasions,” said Wu Bo, a volunteer who came to Kunming to look for a job just a week before the bloodbath. He came to join the rescue operation on the night of the tragedy. He said people had poured in with wreathes, candles and paper cranes with words of condolence.
“May the light in the heaven take you home,” read a paper box with a white candle in it.
It took over an hour for one citizen to carry his wreath to the square on foot. The wreath was so large that no taxi could take him.
“I wish the innocent rest in peace, the injured get better soon and the terrorists are brought to justice,” he said.
Among the mourners was Wu Bo, 27, who came to Kunming from his hometown in Sichuan Province only last week to seek work. He took dozens of red candles to the square and called on passersby to join the ritual. “I don’t want the city’s beauty destroyed this way,” said Wu, who helped police to transport 21 wounded people to the hospital on that fateful Saturday night.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
