For the memory of forgetfulness｜The truth about the Karamay fire in East Turkestan, China......

The Internet is the only place to pay homage to them. 1. Inside the venue, the fire and escape. At around 17:40 on December 8, 1994, Zhao Lanxiu, then deputy mayor of Karamay, came to the Friendship Hall from the city government. At this time, more than 700 teachers and students had been waiting for more than an hour. "I also waited for a while before the acceptance team came." Zhao Lanxiu said. On December 7, a 25-member delegation from the "Compulsory Education and Literacy Assessment and Acceptance Group" of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Education Commission went to Karamay City to inspect the work. At 16:00 on December 8, the Karamay Education Committee organized 15 standardized classes from 15 middle and primary schools, as well as teachers and parents, and 769 people to perform a cultural report and performance for the inspection team at the Friendship Hall. Everything started from the second program "Spring Warm Childhood". Li Ping, a primary school teacher, saw that the instructions for this program - Zhang Yan, the teacher of the Eighth Primary School, and Zhang Li, the principal of the Eighth Primary School, were waiting for their students to leave on the side of the stage. She clearly saw similar lights on a row of light beams above the stage curtain. Sparks like fireworks fell downwards, but she didn't realize it was on fire until a curtain as big as a tablecloth fell down with a ball of fire. Several leaders from the Education Committee went to put out the fire, but in order to avoid confusion, the curtain was drawn. At around 18:10, Bi Jianguo hurried out of the Friendship Hall to call the police. At this time, his daughter Bi Yina and her 11 friends were performing on the stage. A minute ago, Bi Jianguo recorded the events in his daughter's life with his Nikon camera. One last performance. The fire on the stage ignited multiple hula hoops hanging on the back curtain as a background. Due to the obstruction of the curtain, the rapidly consumed oxygen formed a high-pressure area in the stage area, and the curtain expanded like a balloon. Jin Sumin, a second-year junior high school student, recalled that we all stood up during that period. A woman stood in front of the leadership table, holding a microphone and told us not to mess up and sit down, so we sat down. However, the two boys in the class who were usually quite naughty did not listen to her and ran away. They were the only two children in Jin Somin's class who escaped unscathed. "Let the leader go first." Although Zhao Lanxiu denied to this reporter that anyone had said this, Yang Liu, Jin Sumin and other survivors present confirmed that a female leader did say this. "When the students sat down one after another, the leadership table was already empty." Jin Somin said. Su Hao (pseudonym), who was sitting in the back row at the time, had a wide and clear view. He described what he saw at the critical moment, "The leaders were sitting in the first few rows in the middle. When they asked us to sit down and not move, I saw them slowly Slowly spread to both sides and walk slowly back from the aisle." At this scene, the fire spread rapidly and all the lights went out instantly. Everything is out of control, there is no organization, people are driven by fear and instinctively rush towards any possible way to survive. Zhou Yajing, the announcer of the performance and a 9-year-old girl at the time, recalled afterwards: "In the passage, a grandfather pushed us away and ran forward. I know him, he is the grandfather to whom I gave flowers before the performance. "The three leaders of Karamay Municipal Bureau (Petroleum Administration Bureau, at the same level as the municipal government) and 17 members of the Education Committee, except Zhao Lanxiu, miraculously escaped in time. The first group of people who escaped successfully escaped through the rolling shutter door at the back of the Friendship Hall, but soon, the originally open rolling shutter door suddenly fell down, and the Friendship Hall suddenly turned into a completely closed crematorium that resembled a brick kiln, a place full of wailing and The screaming house of death. Recalling this paragraph, Jin Somin's voice began to tremble. 2. Chaotic rescue off the field At the same time, the chaos off the field may not be better than on the field. The later announced time of the fire alarm was 18:20. However, many people confirmed that multiple people had called the police at 18:15. Otherwise, Bi Jianguo would have delayed the time regardless of his daughter's life and death, and Zhang Yan would never have had time to return to the museum. Save people inside. However, it was not until the third fire truck that the fire ax was finally brought to break the door. At this time, people had already spontaneously used various tools to desperately attack the 10 closed exits around the Friendship Hall. Some citizens bumped their shoulders against the aluminum doors. Employees from the design institute opposite the Friendship Hall ran to the left side of the Friendship Hall and pulled off the wooden door in the hope of saving the students, but there was an anti-theft iron door behind the wooden door. They lifted the door panel and hit the security door. The lower part of the security door was bent. They pulled up the steel bars one by one to let the people in the corridor and toilet get out. Children climbed on the windows waving and shouting. The window was too high, and the rescuers were anxious. Some people lifted the door panel, while others stood on it, smashed it with hammers, pried it with steel bars, broke open the iron fence, and pulled the child out. Time passed like this minute by minute. When the rolling shutter door fell, Li Ping was rescuing her students. She was rushed to the threshold of the rolling shutter door by the shock wave. "There were six or seven children pressed under my body and under my armpits. There were many feet stepping on my head and body. I I can only use my elbows to relieve the pressure on the children." After the power was cut off, the rolling shutter door stuck them under the door like a guillotine. Fortunately, there were many hands outside the door to pull them out one by one. She counted her students, 12 of them, "Great, they are all here." But when she took the students to safety, people discovered that she rushed back at a sprint speed of 100 meters. "It hurts, it hurts. My child hasn't come out yet!" She kicked and smashed the door like crazy, but to no avail... 3. Claim, sad memory In fact, the fire only lasted 20 minutes. After that, it was all over. The scene of identifying the body was miserable and sentimental. Most of the children's families were old and young, and they were very large. When they entered the morgue in batches, supporting each other according to their numbers, most of the older people only cried a few times before fainting, and then being carried out in a hurry. The father and mother will hug their dead children and never let go. Later, someone recorded the experience of a child who escaped from the window: I saw a window more than two meters high without iron bars, so I tried my best to climb up but couldn't. At this moment, a pair of big hands got stuck in my Under his armpit, he lifted me up and I breathed in the first breath of fresh air. I had seen him before. He was the uncle who took photos for us. After he sent me out, he also started to climb up, but when he got close to the window, he couldn't climb anymore. I watched helplessly as he was deadlocked for a long time, but he still couldn't hold on. The No. 8 primary school in Keji City suffered the heaviest losses. These youngest pupils sat in the front row farthest from the escape exits - on the left and right sides of the leadership seats. One of their tasks was to salute and lay flowers to the leaders. As a result, most of the more than 100 children died. . When the bodies of principal Zhang Li and teacher Zhang Yan were carried out, they were holding their children in their arms and could not be separated. The parents of the children said: "Don't separate. Since they were born together, they will die together..." " Liu Wanying could never forget Zhang Yan's burned face. Her voice choked up for the first time in the interview, "Everyone was moved by such a young teacher. In the anatomy room, we helped her with plastic surgery. I used my own lipstick. and powder cake to put makeup on her." Meng Cuifen, a teacher in the second class of the third grade of the eighth primary school, was one of the top ten teachers. At that time, the gray-haired woman had already retired. She only came back to the podium at the request of the school and parents. "People put out the fire after putting out the fire. When she was found, Teacher Meng's head and back had been burned. However, she was protecting a student under her elbows, and one of the students' heart was still beating weakly." The parents of the deceased students are offering their condolences to Meng Cuifen. During the funeral, he said to her portrait: "Teacher, you did not let the child's face and body be burned. We thank you, teacher. We can rest assured that the child will be handed over to you at school; if the child goes with you underground, we will Don't worry." There were more than 40 teachers present in the fire, and 18 of them threw their flesh and blood into the fire and died without mercy. 4. “Not all leaders escaped” After the fire, Zhao Lanxiu and Fang Tianlu were the highest-ranking leaders among those sentenced. She was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for dereliction of duty. But what is little known is that Zhao Lanxiu was one of the very few leaders who "did not leave first" at that time. In the final trial, the court also found that she was carried out of the fire scene after breaking the door. In the face of disaster, like everyone else, she is first and foremost a victim. However, she has been unable to cleanse herself of the extremely facial-shape "leadership" image forged in that fire. "I am the deputy mayor in charge of education. I have been working in education for more than 20 years. I have so much affection for children. How could I abandon them and leave?" Zhao Lanxiu said excitedly at her home in Shanghai on December 19 this year. , gesturing to our reporter with his hands that had lost the front half of his fingers, "In the past 12 years, I have been dreaming about giving awards to children. I can name many of the dead and injured children." But Shao Shao Some people are willing to be "the mourners who caress the traitors". Shen Honglei, editor-in-chief of "External Communication", recalled that in 2003, the Female Mayors Association asked her to interview Zhao Lanxiu. At that time, she had many concerns - on the one hand, this was a person that everyone hated, and on the other hand, Zhao Lanxiu's face was Shen Honglei, a professional in aesthetics, suffered severe burns and also had psychological shadow from this. "The first time we met, Zhao Lanxiu said something that moved me immediately. She said that even with this fate, if fate gave her 100 more opportunities to choose, she would still choose to save the child 100 times." Shen Honglei When he said this, Zhao Lanxiu couldn't open his lips. The day before the fire, she rushed back to Karamay to attend the event. When the fire started, Zhao Lanxiu was sitting in the first row. Zhao Lanxiu stood up and shouted "cut off the power". When she turned around and saw Bi Jianguo, she asked him to call the police immediately. Then she turned towards the burning stage and dragged the students performing "Spring Warm Childlike Heart" down to evacuate, and was immediately hit by a gust of fire. Waves knocked down. "At that time, I only felt burning pain in my face, hands and feet. I struggled to get up and took two steps before losing consciousness." When she woke up, Zhao Lanxiu was already lying on the concrete floor of the hospital corridor. At this time, she felt like she had come out of hell. When I walked out, my hands were melting like dripping candles. More than 90% of my face was carbonized by the fire, and my mouth and nose seemed to have melted together. Only the strands of hair and the burnt corner of the lilac suit can tell that this is a woman, let alone her identity. There were many casualties in the hospital, and it was impossible to save everyone in time. When it was her turn, someone asked, "Who are you?" She answered in a guttural voice with difficulty, "I am Zhao Lanxiu." The doctor quickly sent her to the emergency ward, and The dean was called. "My trachea was cut and phlegm was sucked out of me. It felt like I was in a deep ice cellar. I wanted to climb out but couldn't." 5. Those leaders who were sentenced. It cannot be said that Zhao Lanxiu commanded well and evacuated effectively. But in the fire, she did show her humanity. Zhao Lanxiu said that when the incident happened, the scene was very chaotic. She only focused on saving the children, "I don't know what everyone else was doing." She only learned about the cause of the fire and the "leadership" much later in court. , "I was really angry when I found out." She was not included in the first list of handlers announced at the end of 1994. But on May 24, 1995, Zhao Lanxiu, who was waiting in Urumqi to catch a flight to Shanghai for surgery the next day, was escorted back to Karamay overnight. On May 30 of that year, "Xinwen Lianbo" broadcast the results of the "12.8" accident to the country for the second time. The number of arrestees increased from 13 on December 15, 1994 to 14. "Half a year later, , it only makes me a crippled criminal." "Compared with the physical pain, the mental and political pressure tortures me more." She said, "The complaint mentions my escape twice, which is a slander and is unfair to me. How can a person who values reputation like this endure it?" On August 18, Zhao Lanxiu, who had been suffering from fever for days, was carried on a stretcher and pushed into the court in a wheelchair to hear her sentence. For a long time after the trial, Zhao Lanxiu always carried a heavy cross. Her friends said she committed suicide three times, but now she only admits that she "had gone on a hunger strike." Although Zhao Lanxiu did not spend a day in jail and was immediately paroled for medical treatment, she was still dissatisfied: If those who escaped from the fire to save themselves were sentenced to the same crime as those who persisted in the fire to save others and became crippled, what would be the inspiration for future generations? ? "Even if the merits are not equal to the demerits, we should evaluate the merits and demerits, but in the past 12 years, the media and public opinion have been kidnapped by the emotional part of public opinion." Shen Honglei said, at least let people know that not all Leaders are greedy for life and afraid of death. Shen Honglei, who visited Karamay twice for interviews, once tried to hold a symposium with the families of the victims, but when she mentioned Zhao Lanxiu, the people went crazy, as if she was trying to overturn the verdict of a heinous person. A mother who lost her son said that it would be ridiculous for a criminal who was solemnly tried under the national emblem to overturn the verdict for her! The mother's anger and Zhao Lanxiu's despair are both so understandable and equally tragic. Many years later, the convicts gradually returned to normal lives. For Zhao Lanxiu's long-term treatment and life in Shanghai, the family moved to Shanghai. The Petroleum Administration Bureau "borrowed" a house of more than 100 square meters to her. Some Karamay leaders once wrote to the central government to vindicate Zhao Lanxiu. But according to her, “It’s impossible and undesirable.” Fortunately, the salary has been restored and the salary is based on the salary before the accident. Now I have more than 2,000 yuan a month, and I can be reimbursed for medical treatment. Another "leader" at the same level who was sentenced, Fang Tianlu, worked in Xi'an for a period of time and has now returned to Karamay. Like other criminals in the same case who have reached age, they have retired. There are also some people who were assigned to work in other places and chose not to return to Karamay. Some people also went to sea to do business. For example, Kuang Li from the Municipal Education Commission became the general manager of the Karamay branch of an insurance company. “She became a rich person. She invited me to dinner when I returned to Karamay. She also rejoined the party and called me so happy.” Zhao Lanxiu explain. 6. The lives of those survivors In addition to the 323 victims, the "12·8" fire also left 132 disabled people. Among them, the one with the most severe burns was Willow. Yangliu suffered third-degree burns on 85% of his body. It is a miracle that he survived. Twelve years later, she is the only injured person still being treated in the hospital. Zhao Lanxiu always remembered her, "She was the best singer at that time and she was also beautiful." Before the age of 13, she was a genius and a famous little singer in Karamay. When she was 10 years old, she was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music as a special training class student; When she was 13 years old, she was a hero. She stayed to find three friends and took them away, but the last willow was hit by the heat wave; after the age of 13, she was a person who was gradually forgotten. She underwent 25 operations in less than half a year, which made Zhao Lanxiu full of emotion, "We were treated together in Shanghai No. 9 Hospital. At that time, her skin was ulcerated all over her body and she could not wear clothes, so she stood up naked and practiced walking." Learning to walk again, He learned to write again, and he learned to read books and newspapers again with his burned eyes. Only his original musical talent was not taken away by the fire. A girl she rescued from the fire was her partner who was preparing to perform a duet at the time. Now her partner has graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music. Many people say that Yang Liu is better than her partner in both looks and singing voice. However, Yang Liu accepted the reality calmly, "I have nothing to complain about. I just hope that the next operation in Beijing will be successful." Kim So Min ushered in a happy event. Just a few months ago, she got married. On her wedding day, the makeup artist worked for three or four hours so that no trace of burns could be seen on her appearance. The amputated hand was hidden in the flowers held by the other hand and could not be seen at all in the wedding photos. She was admitted to a university in Dalian, but the schoolWhen I saw this situation, I decided to back out of gear. After that, Jin Sumin went to Xinjiang University. When she first entered college, she was always afraid of leaving the dormitory. Every time she went to eat, she would either be the first to go or hide at the end. When taking a photo for her second-generation ID card, the photographer asked her to expose her ears. Jin Sumin flipped up her hair and said, "My ears are burned off, what are you doing?" Yang Liu and Jin Sumin are the two strongest children among the survivors, and more children live with autism. "No one is willing to play with me." Su Hao said. Now he only occasionally chats with people online. In today's Karamay, walking through the brightly lit streets, a white building suddenly stands in front of you. In 1997, Karamay planned to blow up the Friendship Hall and build a "People's Square". However, many citizens protested, and the plan was later slightly modified. The front door of the Friendship Hall was renovated and whitewashed and retained. The other buildings were still blown up. The preserved second floor of the Friendship Hall is now a table tennis training base. After school time, this place is filled with the laughter and laughter of children, and everything feels like a world away. "I have always felt that a memorial hall should be built to prove that the city remembers these dead souls and their pain." Liu Wanying said. "The cities of the motherland are like the stars in the sky. The bright stars are connected one by one. Karamay is shining in the stars. I love Karamay, Karamay loves me..." This song that I had no chance to sing at the Friendship Hall 12 years ago, In the past 12 years, Yangliu has often sang. When singing, that scarred face can still smile.