On February 11, 2023, in Antakya, Turkey, the hardest-hit earthquake, rescue teams from Hong Kong, China rescued a survivor from the rubble. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
My story is always in the photos. This year's encounter is a story about brokenness and rebirth.
At the end of February, he went to the earthquake-stricken area in Turkey. In Antakya, I saw a scene similar to the Wenchuan earthquake 15 years ago. A living city was completely destroyed, and not a single building could continue to live there. The same scene was sealed in my photos about Yingxiu and Beichuan 15 years ago, and the memories of the photos will not fade away until I am old. A week after the earthquake, the city of Antakya slowly came back to life from the rubble, and the survivors set up tents in the open field, burned firewood for cooking, and a steady stream of relief supplies arrived, and the people who lost their loved ones and houses finally had enough to eat.
On February 17, 2023, in Istanbul, Turkey, at dusk, snack vendors began to come to the seaside square one after another to take up their seats, waiting for customers.
On December 21, 2023, several children stand outside the tent at the resettlement site in Dahejia Town Square, Jishishan County, Gansu Province. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
At the beginning of May, I returned to Kitagawa and Yingxiu again. Yingxiu, which was rebuilt on the original site, and Beichuan, which was rebuilt in another place, houses, roads, and trees...... Everything is brand new. Half an hour's drive from Beichuan New County, 30 kilometers away, the earthquake site will forever be engraved with the day that changed the fate of many people. People still cry when they talk about their loved ones lost in the earthquake, but life still has to move on. Every year on the Qingming Festival and the "5.12" anniversary, the survivors will return to the place that usually seems to be buried in the depths of their hearts to burn paper and worship.
Students mourn the victims of the earthquake in front of the square of Xuankou Middle School in Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, May 9, 2023.
On the evening of May 6, 2023, many citizens came to dance square dances in Beichuan Rebirth Square, Sichuan. Fifteen years have passed since the Wenchuan earthquake, Beichuan County has been rebuilt in a different place, and people have started a new life in this new Beichuan. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
In Yingxiu, the ruins of the Xuankou Middle School in the center of the town are sad, and the daily bustle of tourists is also turning the town on the road to tourism in western Sichuan into a tourist attraction. People try to earn more during peak seasons like summer vacation and Golden Week. 15 years have passed, and the memories in the photos have been reborn year after year in the original shattering.
In 2023, the real estate of Happiness City in Kunming, Yunnan Province has gone through twists and turns and finally delivered in the first half of the year. On October 21, the owners of the unfinished buildings that attracted public attention three years ago finally moved into their new houses. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
Being born again always brings joy and hope. In April, in Ruili, Yunnan Province, the local people ushered in the Songkran Festival after a four-year absence, and the city was full of carnivals. On that day, no one in Ruili City could return home from head to toe. Amidst the laughter of Songkran and the bargaining of Jade City, I took photos of Ruili and kept the good memories together.
On April 12, 2023, the Songkran Festival in Mangshi, Yunnan Province, after a four-year absence, ushered in a carnival of more than 100,000 people.
On October 26, 2023, a couple taking wedding photos at the Erhai Beach in Dali, Yunnan.
On November 9, 2023, hundreds of imitations of terracotta warriors and horses were placed in the ancient name of the world scenic spot in Zhongjiang County, Deyang, Sichuan. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
In the Universiade in July and the Asian Games in September, a person shuttled between various arenas, witnessed the shining of champions and gold medals for the first time, and sighed for the Chinese men's football team and men's basketball team again. But in any case, two world-class sporting events are witnessing the growing vitality and strength of this country.
On October 6, 2023, at the men's basketball award ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the champion Philippine team was cheering, and the Chinese men's basketball team stood next door to miss the gold medal. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
On June 21, 2023, the Dragon Boat Festival dragon boat scene on the river in Datang Village, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, dragon boats from nearby villages came to visit the door. (Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan/Photo)
On July 22, 2023, fog filled the Songhua River in Jilin City, Jilin Province.
On May 10, 2023, two red pandas rested in a tree at a panda base in Wolong Town, Sichuan. After the Wenchuan earthquake, this new protection base was rebuilt near the then Wolong Panda Base.
Every year there will be some breaking, and every year there will be rebirth. It's a tortuous and powerful process.
Every year older, it seems to be a year older. But the luck of photojournalists is that there are so many precious memories that will always accompany and be unforgettable in the photos.
Southern Weekly reporter Weng Huan
Editor-in-charge: Li Nan, Feng Fei