By Wen Qin, Faculty of Ｍanagement, junior

（exchange student from Tianjin Foreign Studies Univ.）

A fatal earthquake hit Sichuan province, in Middle West China on May 12th. It is only about a month since I transferred from Tianjin Foreign Studies University in China to Sapporo University in April. On May 24, the Chinese government announced that the number of the dead from the earthquake increased by about 4,800 and the total dead were 60,560 and the injured were 252,270.

It was too difficult to watch video footage of people trying to escape from the earthquake or bodies covered with blood. Whenever I saw the devastated areas in Sichuan on TV, my heart ached and I felt the urge to do something for the victims.

At such a painful time, I heard that Japanese students at SU were starting a 5-day-fundraising campaign for the earthquake victims, supported by officers of the student support center. It was just what exchange students from China needed. They thought they could work together with Japanese students even if it was a little help, and they began the fundraising for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. However, there were problems.

On May 16, Friday, the first day of the campaign, no Japanese students gathered to work with us. And unfortunately, some heartless Japanese students made fun of some Chinese students in the campaign. As a result, some students were deeply hurt. Perhaps we were too eager and displayed our feelings for our homeland and fellow Chinese too strongly.

All the Chinese exchange students were discouraged the first day and none of them attended the fundraising campaign the second day, Monday. On that day, however something happened which encouraged us. When we went to the international education center, Mr. Ono, an officer there, apologized to us for the Japanese students who jeered us. He said that not only he but also professors, other university staff and many students were worried about victims of the earthquake and they were anxious to help. Hearing this, some other exchange students and I were so impressed we decided to try the campaign again. We decided to do our best to the end even if there were signs of trouble.

During the next three days, from Tuesday to Thursday the circumstances of the fundraising campaign changed dramatically. All the Chinese exchange students worked hard and more and more Japanese students cooperated with us. It was great to see many people donating money and encouraging us. Everyone's support made the fundraising campaign successful, and on May 30, I went to the Chinese Consulate General in Sapporo with a SU Student Council member to give them a donation of 475,220 yen. Now, I would like to thank everyone on campus who did so much to ensure the success of this campaign.

On May 16, something else happened that impressed all the Chinese exchange students as well as the people of China. A Japanese rescue party at the site of the earthquake, collected dozens of bodies from the debris, including those of a mother and child. Although the Japanese rescue party tried their best to save this mother and child under difficult circumstances, they were already dead. Members of the Japanese rescue party standing in a line, offered a silent prayer for them. The scene was filmed by some media and reported all around China on TV, and a voice of thanks, "

The Chinese will never forget this feeling" echoed over the land.

There is a proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed." It means that people who help you and show you friendship when you are in great difficulty are true friends. After seeing the news I felt the relationship between Japan and China and their people was a good example of this proverb.

Everyone in SU cooperated with the fundraising to help people in Sichuan. Japanese international rescue parties did many wonderful things in China as well. These activities demonstrated an "exchange of friendship" between people from two countries done from the bottom of everybody's heart. This exchange can only be made between true friends. I would like to thank you all for everything you did.

My student life at SU has just begun, and my plan is to study here for two years. Working together with my new friends has given me a renewed vigor and enthusiasm to study harder than before.