Preparing to Return to China

By Andrea Hsu

Hello again, and thanks for visiting Chengdu Diary!

Some of you may have followed this blog last spring. Some of you may be coming here for the first time. Whatever the case, we hope you'll stop by often, post comments, and ask questions.

I'm still in Washington. I leave for Chengdu in a week, and Melissa Block will head out a week after that. Over the past few months, I've been getting a lot of updates from friends in Sichuan, and now I'm just really anxious to get back myself. I'll spend the first week there doing a lot of scouting and set-up work, so that we can make the most of Melissa's time once she arrives.

This past Saturday, April 4, was Qingming, or Tomb Sweeping Day, a time when families tend to the graves of loved ones. I can only imagine what the scene must have been like at gravesites across the quake zone. Tradition calls for burning paper money and incense. This year, however, the government urged people to instead bring flowers or plant trees -- for safety reasons. So many of those who died in the earthquake were in rural areas where traditions hold strong. So I imagine the air must have been thick with smoke.

Thinking about Qingming this weekend left me a little apprehensive about going back. Last year, we were surprised -- shocked, actually -- at how open people were in the midst of their grief. This year, I know we will have to regain people's trust. I just hope we can do it.

11:03 AM ET | 04- 6-2009 | permalink

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