New book revisits aftermath of Wenchuan quake

The latest book on the Wenchuan earthquake, which recounts 168 hours of the aftermath of the 2008 disaster, was published in Beijing on Monday.

Inevitable as it is, the book will open up memories that have been repressed by many who suffered losses from the devastating quake. The book, 168 Hours after the Wenchuan Quake, written by Zhang Liang, is a thought-provoking exploration on how a nation can bounce back through reflection after a tragedy.

"Revisiting the catastrophe is only part of the book. It is more about how people (in the quake area) responded to the disaster, how they survived in the isolated environment after the quake, along the rescue efforts, etc," said Zhang.

Nearly 70,000 people were confirmed dead while millions were left homeless as a result of the 8.0-magnitude quake which struck Wenchuan county in Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, according to official statistics.

Zhang, previously a deputy editor-in-chief of South Reviews, a Guangzhou-based political and economic biweekly known for its fairness and insightfulness, spent three years interviewing more than 170 victims who narrowly escaped death during the quake in an attempt to discover further untold stories and details about the disaster.

"The earthquake never leaves us for good. It happens at a time when people are off guard," said Zhang, who added that one day before the book was to go to print on April 21, a 7.0-magnitude quake hit Lushan county of Ya'an city in Sichuan.

The nation showed how it has improved its response measures when it came to dealing with the Lushan quake, but it still lacks professional standards when handling traffic flow and the spread of information, according to Zhang.

Profits from the book will all be donated to the child victims of the Lushan quake, said the publisher Dookbook.