From PLA solider, Paralympic Games gold medal winner to entrepreneur … A devastating earthquake 14 years ago did not break down Wenchuan people but gave them strength. Chinese netizens paid honor to the victims who died after the magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit Wenchuan county, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, and tell more touching stories of Wenchuan.



 
The tears coursed down his cheeks when Zeng Jiafu, 22, finally met with the PLA soldier who took him out of that tough time at the ceremony of new recruits.

During the earthquake, Zeng's house collapsed. The soldier had sent him a notebook and a water color pen to cheer him up, and also sponsored him to go to school. Years later, Zeng followed the footsteps of his benefactor by becoming a soldier to serve the country.



 
Niu Yu, an 11-year-old who had lost her right leg after she was pressed under the ruins of the collapsed classroom for three days, is now a photographer. She even finished a marathon and stepped on her prosthesis on the T stage at a fashion week.

"If the country is not strong, rescuers won't arrive so soon. I am a child who grew up surrounded by love. I want to spread this love to more people," Niu said.



 
Wang Rui, a survivor who also lost her right leg at the age of 15 in the earthquake, found her second life in the sport of table tennis. Wang won gold at the 2022 Paralympic Games representing China's women's table tennis team.

The extremely traumatic experience taught her to be resilient and brave, Wang said. Wang's story always encourages young Chinese people to see the bright side of life.

Lang Zheng, a 3-year-old boy famous around China and even the world for saluting his PLA rescuers from the rubble of the earthquake, now enjoys a happy childhood in school.The "Salute Boy" seeks his own way of living, playing football, basketball like other normal Chinese boys.

When the earthquake occurred in 2008, Zheng Haiyang was studying in the Beichuan Middle School. Of the 69 students in the class, there were only 16 survivors, and Zheng is one of them.

Zheng, known by the public as "crack boy," was optimistic though he was stuck in the ruins for more than 22 hours. Now he is an entrepreneur working on offering rehabilitation services for the disabled.

It was the pains of missing loved ones and the suffering from the natural disaster, together with the aid coming from all over China that gave strength to Wenchuan people, and those stories of numerous normal people always remind Chinese people to stay strong and united in hard times.

Thursday marks the 14th anniversary of the earthquake, which killed nearly 70,000 people, leaving 18,000 missing and more than 370,000 injured. The entire country can still feel the grief of the loss of life, the great love amid the disaster, most importantly, the resilience of Wenchuan people.

Wenchuan-related stories were the most trending topics on Chinese social media Sina Weibo on Thursday, with pictures and videos talking about today's Wenchuan, how people got saved in ruins and museums carrying out education and trainings on how to protect themselves during emergencies like earthquakes.

Numerous netizens swarmed social media platforms to send their blessings to Wenchuan and the country. "Fourteen years has passed I still remember that year on TV where I saw each scene of the report which let people tears flow naturally on cheeks. Bless Wenchuan," a netizen wrote.

"A united country in hard times will not be broken down. Wish our nation prosperity," another said.

Global Times