CHINA, INTERNATIONAL, COMMENTARY: Some Chinese Thoughts on the London Explosions

By Christina Liang

I was on my summer-vacation trip in Shanghai, when I heard the news of the explosions in London. As a shocking piece of news, it instantly provoked a number of fragmentary thoughts.

Anxious: When I first heard the news, I couldn't help thinking of my classmates who are studying in London. I'm still worrying about their safety, because they haven't contacted us yet. What's more, nobody knows whether the bombings will happen again.

At the same time, I realized that those Londoners whose family members were caught in the explosions are far more anxious than me. Their families have been torn asunder within a few minutes. Most of them will never know their final words to each other except those from earlier that morning--probably just a casual "bye" and a snatched kiss. But the events of only minutes left these little gestures as their last exchanges.

Olympics: Only the night before the bombs, London won the vote to host the 2012 Olympics. All Londoners were immersed in happiness, looking forward to that great event in 2012. However, the next day, that happiness was swept away by unbearable grief. Although some experts said the explosions were not aimed at the host of the Olympic Games, still this coincidence scares us sports fans a lot. In recent years, terrorism has gradually, relentlessly threatened sports--one of the purest parts in our life. I have always firmly believed that sports stands for the beauty of human nature, so I don't want to see terrorism, politics, or the endless grudges of humanity come to violate it.

Reaction: After the explosions, one thing impressed me greatly--the calm reaction of the Londoners. First of all, the rescuers' response was quick, calm and effective. As I got the developing news on the Internet, it became clear that the London search and rescue system truly did a good job.

In recent years, with the increase of emergencies, search and rescue systems have become a serious problem. Comparatively speaking, the developed countries, relying on their strong economies, plus well-developed social welfare institutions, can cope with such emergencies quite well.

However, as for the underdeveloped countries, things don't always go so well. Lacking materiel is the main obstacle of search and rescue systems. So after a disaster, the government and the victims face other embarrassing problems. Sometimes, the only thing they can do is wait for international help.

An effective search and rescue system is an urgent and important problem to deal with. We can't let the victims, who have undergone unbearable pains, experience even more sadness.

Secondly, the bravery shown by the common Londoners deserves our respect. As we all know, the purpose of the terrorists was to destroy the normal order of Londoners' lives. The more panic they show, the happier the terrorists will be. But I think the reaction of Londoners disappointed the terrorists a lot.

A friend who has lived in London for several years told me that the courage of the British is beyond faith or belief. They make rational moves only out of common sense. Their common sense tells them that calmness and an orderly normal life is the strongest reaction against an enemy.

This reminds me of the novel "The Remains of the Day." According to the novel, the most important factor of a good British butler is "dignity." I suppose this is an important feature not only of a typical butler but also of all British people. In the capital of the "country of gentlemen," faced with an emergency, Londoners used their actions to give us a definition of "dignity."

Gloating: After the explosions, I surfed the Internet, hoping to see the opinions of the Chinese people on this event. Many people did show concern for the Londoners, for the victims. However, some people took pleasure in the Londoners' misfortune. They said the British deserved it. The explosions helped them vent their anger toward the allies--USA and UK--and express their sympathy for the people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I can understand the feelings of these people. They are not satisfied with the behavior of USA and UK all over the world. They can't bear to see certain big countries "bully" other small nations. On this point, I agree with them. But to gloat is really not humane.

No matter what the government has done, the common people are innocent. They just pay for politicians' wrong doings. Some people may retort that the common people elect the governors. I think 99 percent of people vote for their leaders to insure their safety and bring them a better life, not to invade other countries. I trust the intelligence of the people in this "country of gentlemen."

All in all, I want to say that the dignified reaction of Londoners won them an enhanced reputation all over the world. In my eyes, the terrorists never got an upper hand in this event.

The work of anti-terrorism should go unalterably on.