The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

2019 • 10 32 Zhang Yao-ming, who was the principal of Tu Cheng Elementary School at the time of the disastrous quake, described his experience as “the nightmare of the century”. As he evacuated his house in Wufeng, Taichung to escape from danger, he felt the urge to check on the school upon witnessing widespread ruin: a factory was engulfed in flames and cars were pinned under the remains of collapsed buildings. When he arrived at the school, the eastern block had been reduced to rubble. Before he could come to his senses, he was caught off guard by another course of magnitude-6.0 tremors, while the southern L ate one evening 20 years ago, elementary school teacher Cai Yi-rong, who was then in second grade, was packing her schoolbag in preparation for the following day’s lessons before going to bed. “It was an unforgettable experience. As I was frantically jolted awake from sleep by my family, a thought crossed my mind: Where should I go tomorrow ?” Four years ago, Yi-rong returned to teach at her alma mater, Tu Cheng Elementary School, which suffered the wrath of the 1999 Jiji earthquake that rocked Taiwan. A stroll across the school grounds would inevitably evoke vivid memories of that fateful night two decades ago. Building hope for the future Written by Yang Shun-bin Translated by Lee Hui Yieng Photograph by Yan Lin-zhao Information compiled by Huang Fang-qi, Huang Peng-yu, Lin Wen-cheng, Lin Xue-hua, Chen Li-ming and Zhang Yao-ming pecial Feature