More from Mianyang, China

My pictures from Mianyang and Chengdu are snapshots from more than 11 years ago. I was there for less than three weeks but those weeks remain a highlight of ten years of working abroad. It is heartbreaking to see the images and hear the news coming from there this week.


The Morning Ferry

Note: Clicking on the pictures will take you to it’s page in my Flickr photoset where you can see more pictures from Mianyang and Chengdu.

From the L.A. Times

MIANYANG, CHINA -- Everywhere you turned Wednesday, there was more bad news: The official death toll from China's earthquake climbed to nearly 15,000, with thousands still missing; 391 dams were damaged; and in Mianyang county, 3,600 passengers were trapped in trains, and 120 coal miners lost underground.

Fishing

From the Chicago Tribune

MIANYANG, China — The survivors surged into every available space: on top of flattened ping-pong tables, inside an abandoned boxing ring, between treadmills — any place they could find in a sports stadium that has become a settlement for the displaced in one of Sichuan's hardest-hit cities.

A quick search of photos posted on Flickr shows that the cities have changed dramatically since I was there, more cars on the streets, more modern buildings, more shopping; tangible results of China’s economic boom.

See: Commentary by Andrew Smeall, Asia Society

The disaster unfolding in Sichuan, China reveals the tragic side of China's focus on rapid economic growth. Although the Chinese government has responded with admirable swiftness and determination in the face of this disaster, some of the damage, and future tragedies, can only be avoided through more rigorous attention to building codes….

This earthquake merely highlights examples of a trend that has become evident across much of China's economy over the last few years—a trend of profits coming before people. Supporting environmental regulatory industries through fines levied on polluters ironically insures that regulators profit from the continued existence of polluters.

Click here to see a slideshow of 30 images taken in Mianyang and Chengdu in the early spring of 1997.

The People of Mianyang and Chengdu

In early spring of 1997 I visited Chengdu and Mianyang in Sichuan Province, China.. Those cities are much in the news in recent days following the magnitude 7.9 earthquake with epicenter not far from Mianyang.

I had a wonderful time there and would love to return. The images I see on the news and the web from there are tragic and heartbreaking.

I am posting these pictures of some of the wonderful people I encountered there in hope that wherever they are today, they are safe and well.

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to it’s page in my Flickr photoset where I have posted more photos from my visit there.

Today these young schoolgirls could be high school or university age. Are they still able to smile as they did in 1997?

From China View

MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A teenage girl has told how she and her classmates sang pop songs together as they lay trapped and injured in the ruins of their high school after the massive earthquake in southwest China on Monday.

The Scissor Sharpener

Mianyang Folksinger

Chengdu Bartender. He was very proud of his city and more than willing to have his picture snapped but he turned his ID badge around first.

Please see: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/14/content_8167930.htm

MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Death toll in the earthquake-stricken Mianyang City jumped from 3629 to 5,430 by 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday.
Information from the quake control and relief efforts headquarter of Mianyang City said Monday's earthquake also left 1,396 people missing, 18,486 more buried in debris, and 23,235 others injured.

See Also:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/14/content_8170751.htm

http://www.cctv.com/english/20080514/101800.shtml

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/05/13/in-mianyang-street-lights-lit-relative-calm/

Please visit my Mianyang and Chengdu, 1997 photo set where you can see more photos of Mianyang and her people.

Alexander Gardner’s Burnside Bridge Photos

Alexander Gardner took a series of photographs of the Antietam Battlefield beginning just two days after the battle where 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in a single day of combat.

Gardner’s photographs were the first time an American battlefield had ever been photographed with many of the dead still on the field. Gardner, 41 years old at the time of the battle, was employed by Mathew Brady's studio in Washington, DC.

Library of Congress Image cwpb 04327 from Gardner Negative.


Gardner’s photos include four taken of Burnside Bridge. I have attempted to discover Gardner’s camera position and recreate those shots. The results provide a glimpse of how much (or little) the area has changed in nearly 150 years.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge (follow link to Gardner’s photo)

This would be the same view seen by many of the attacking soldiers in Burnside's command.

Clicking on the photos will take you to its page in my Flickr photoset where you can see a full size image. You can also locate the camera position on a google map or satellite image by following the “Taken in: (map)” link found under Additional Information on that page.

Clicking on the link that is the photo's title will take you to Alexander Gardner's historic photo for comparison.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 2 (to Gardner’s photo)

Now that I know the spot, I can return with my tripod and attempt to duplicate Gardner’s long exposure time.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 3 (to Gardner’s photo)

I believe the fence is a bit closer to the bank of the Antietam creek in Gardner’s shot.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 4 (to Gardner’s photo)

I have found Gardner’s position for this shot but I have missed on the time of day.

You can see 30 of Gardner’s photographs on the National Park Service Antietam webpage here:

Historic Photographs by Alexander Gardner

The photos can be seen as a slide show or in a gallery of downloadable 3000 x 2400 pixel images.

Follow this link to see a slideshow of some of my recent Antietam Battlefield photos:

LostBob’s Antietam Battlefield Photoset

Explain This

Which end of this tree was in the ground?