The Great Land Groaned

On May 12, 2008, a Magnitude 8 earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province, the deadliest tremor to hit China since 1976. Felt as far away 288 as Beijing and Shanghai, the earthquake took nearly 70,000 lives and made an estimated 5 million people homeless. Drawing concern and aid from all across China and throughout the world, the earthquake summoned an unprecedented spirit of cooperation as people swarmed to the affected areas to assist in relief efforts. At the same time, the disaster laid bare weaknesses in the system, as well as conflicts and resentments that had long been festering beneath the surface of rural society. Carrying out research on rural governance in one of the affected counties at the time, the writer Yefu stayed behind to observe how local officials dealt with the aftermath of the disaster. Through a combination of sociological observation, historical anecdotes and stirring narrative, Yefu describes efforts to rebuild not only the physical structures of the disaster zone, but also the spirit of its inhabitants.