China Local News
‘True Heroes’ : Netizens Pay Tribute to Firefighters Killed in Hong Kong Blaze
As Hong Kong celebrities and TV stations have joined hands to pay respect to the city’s frontline firefighters who battled the deadly blaze that broke out last Tuesday, the topic ‘salute to our firefighters’ became trending on Sina Weibo.
An ‘unimaginable’ fire broke out in a Hong Kong industrial facility at the Ngau Tau Kok area a week ago, burning for almost five days, more than 108 hours, claiming the lives of two firefighters and injuring 11 others.
Senior fireman Samuel Hui Chi-kit (37) died after being taken to hospital on Thursday. Senior station officer Thomas Cheung (30) died while battling the fire on Tuesday, SCMP reports.
It was Hong Kong’s longest-running fire in over 20 years. The South China Morning Post reported that an electrical leakage from the air conditioner was a potential cause of the fire.
As the city was stunned and saddened by the loss of the two firemen, a group of actors led by celebrity Hong Kong Eric Tsang (曾志伟) and nine Hong Kong TV and radio stations launched the “Salute to Our Firefighters” campaign on Sunday. Those taking part were asked to upload a picture of themselves on social media holding up a paper with the message of “salute to our firefighters” and a lighted torch.
“Usually if friends do something for us, we say thank you to them. But when they are sacrificing themselves for us, thank you is not enough. We really want to do something for [our firefighters], but it is not appropriate to go to the frontline to encourage them, or deliver food and water,” Tsang said.
In honor of the firemen, the 1993 song Sincere Hero (真心英雄) by Jonathan Lee (李宗盛) will be rewritten as True Hero (真的英雄), sung by hundreds of singers. Pictures shared by netizens on social media will be included in the music video. The song will make its debut at 7pm this Tuesday.
Within several hours after the campaign was launched, the topic became a hit on Sina Weibo under the hashtag of “Salute to Our Firefighters” (#向前線消防員致敬#). The campaign’s Weibo page has been reviewed by more than 30 million people.
Chinese netizens shared their gratitude for firefighters who put themselves in harm’s way to save others. One Weibo user wrote: “No matter where in the world they are, firefighters deserve our respect.”
Another netizen applauded the firemen in a more creative way. In his post, the male Weibo user named ‘It Will All be Okay‘ sketched a short story portraying the dream of thousands of firemen “to stay alive until retirement.”
“I am a fireman.”
“Many people think that we are heroes.”
“Even though the fireman suit doesn’t give us superpowers.”
“But we are not heroes. Sometimes, we have to give up.”
“In the face of danger, I will fear, too.”
“When such a fear comes, my brain always tells me to stop.”
“Do you know the honor of being a fireman?”
“It is neither receiving awards nor recognition;”
“Rather, it is to retire while alive.”
– By Yanling Xu
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China Local News
Children of Hubei Medical Workers to Receive 10 Extra Points on High School Enrolment Examination
Hubei officials announced a controversial measure to reward frontline medical workers.
China Local News
Sudden Ground Collapse at Metro Station in Xiamen
A sudden collapse occurred near Xiamen’s Lucuo station, just two weeks after a similar incident took place in Guangzhou.
First published
In the evening of December 12, Xiamen’s Lvcuo (Lǚcuò 吕厝) metro station became a breaking news topic in Chinese media after a ground collapse incident occurred at a nearby intersection, followed by a major flood in the Xiamen subway.
Xiamen, Fujian Province, is one of China’s major coastal cities. According to Xiamen Metro News, the collapse happened at 21:52 local time.
Ground collapsed at Lvcuo station of Metro Line 2 in Xiamen pic.twitter.com/qrkDsJjsCO
— Chenyu_Liang (@chenyuliang) December 12, 2019
At time of writing, rescue teams are still investigating the scene. It is unclear if people have been trapped or injured due to the collapse.
An apparent dashcam video shared by Sina News and People’s Daily on Weibo shows the moment right before the sudden collapse.
The video captures how the road is relatively busy at the time of collapsing, and at least one car can be seen crashing into the sinkhole.
The moment before it happened pic.twitter.com/fVAxFAgD3s
— Chenyu_Liang (@chenyuliang) December 12, 2019
Other footage shows that the Xiamen metro line is currently flooded (also see video in this tweet).
The scene of the collapse at 0:10 local time.
The metro station where this incident occurred is relatively new. Xiamen’s metro line was first opened in late December 2017.
Just two weeks ago, another major ground collapse accident occurred at the construction site of a metro line in Guangzhou. Three people remain missing after the incident.
On Thursday night local time, the Xiamen metro collapse was the number one trending topic on social media platform Weibo. Many netizens commenting on the incident express worries about the safety of roads and construction sites in China.
Update (Dec 13): According to the latest Chinese media reports, the drivers of two cars who were at the scene at the moment of the ground collapse have both been recused. One female pedestrian who also fell into the sinkhole is receiving medical treatment..
By Manya Koetse
Follow @whatsonweibo
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Wilson
July 1, 2016 at 6:58 pm
Does anyone have the English lyrics to the re-wire song dedicated to the Hong Kong Firefighters (True Hero)?