Song Xuxia after an Earthquake

Date

2013

Description

Creator of the image: Wang Yixuan
Date of the image creation: 2013
Medium of the image: Photograph
Person depicted: Song Xuxia

This photograph is of Song Xuxia, a 19-year-old woman who was injured in the quake after a building collapsed with her inside. Thankfully, nearby villages heard her cry, and were able to pull her from the rubble and take her to hospital for further treatment. The photograph depicts a bruised and battered Song Xuxia sitting upright in a hospital bed. Through her dark eyes, irises surrounded by the whites, she stares, not so much at the camera, but through it in a state of shock.

The first of a series of earthquakes hit China’s central Gansu province on 22 July 2013. According to officials, the quake caused at least 95 deaths, more than 1,000 injuries and the displacement of an estimated 27,000 people. Approximately 1,200 buildings completely collapsed, with a further 21,000 being severely damaged.

The photographer records the following: ‘I was deployed to cover the earthquake aftermath with the second group of journalists from my paper. I went with text reporters directly to the Minxian hospital. My main assignment was to photograph the injured people. From when I set foot inside the hospital, I saw victims of different ages and conditions. I decided to shoot a set of profile pictures of them. In the long corridor of the hospital, I was drawn to a girl sitting on a bed, especially by her eyes, which gave away a mixture of insecurity and panic. It was obvious by the look on her face and her messy hair what she might have witnessed during the disaster. I tried my best not to bother her but I also tried to capture her heartbreaking expression. She told me she was scared. The girl’s relative was there when I took the picture, helping her comb her hair and clean her feet.’

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