Source: China Daily
06-12-2008 17:13
Special Report: Strong quake jolts SW ChinaBEIJING, June 12 -- Wedding photographer Wang Qiang eyed the gloomy skies with a sense of forboding. In the nearby courtyard, a stylist applied cosmetics to his newlywed friends and clients Deng Li, 28, and Huang Fang, 25, clad in white wedding attire.
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| A newlywed couple stand at an open ground after escaping the catholic seminary. Photos by Wang Qiang (Photo: China Daily) |
Days earlier, the couple had asked Wang's advice on a suitable outdoor setting for their wedding photographs. Wang, owner of a photography studio in Chengdu, recommended Bailu Academy, a deserted catholic seminary hidden halfway up a mountain slope in Bailu township, Pengzhou county. The timelessly peaceful scenic spot is both a tourist attraction and a popular backdrop for wedding photos.
They arrived at noon. "The weather was weird. It was sunny in the morning, but turned overcast and cold," Wang recalls. "I saw bees hovering on the way, something I had never noticed on previous visits."
Wang says there were 33 people at the seminary that day, including five other couples and photographers from two studios.
As his team began their preparations to shoot after a quick lunch, Wang suddenly heard a loud cracking sound overhead. Looking up, he saw to his horror the roof beams in the main seminary building splinter and fall. As he fled to the courtyard he saw panic-stricken people running out of the chapel opposite which was violently vibrating.
He realized he was in the midst of an earthquake. When he looked at his watch, it was 2:28 pm. He was then plunged into a smoky, dust-filled darkness. It was only after the 10-second tremor stopped that the air cleared and he could see and breath freely again.
Every one was gray-haired and coated in thick dust. "The brides and grooms in their smudged makeup and muddy, dust smeared wedding costumes looked really bizarre," Wang recalls. All present gazed dumbstruck at the pile of rubble where the seminary, which would have celebrated its 100th anniversary a week later, once stood.
