死里逃生纪念日

7月28日是我死里逃生纪念日，至今已经45年了。有点年纪的人一定知道唐山大地震。那一刻我在离唐山震中65公里(45Miles). 那时候没有方便的交通，感觉离唐山很远，从来也没有到唐山去过，现在谷歌地图一查感觉好近，怪不得我们的小村庄在大地震中会夷为平地。

“July 28th is my escape from death anniversary, and it has been 45 years now. Older people must know about the Tangshan earthquake. At that moment, I was 65 kilometers (45 miles) away from the epicenter. There wasn’t convenient transportation back then, and it felt like a long distance from Tangshan. I had never been to Tangshan before, but now, when I check on Google Maps, it feels so close. No wonder our small village was devastated in the earthquake.”

我竟然在地图上找到我生活了16年的村子，现在这里已经没有居民了。看看这些村子的名字有多么的土：前大坨，铁神庙。

It’s fascinating that I was able to find the village where I lived for 16 years on the map, even though it’s now uninhabited. The names of some villages indeed carry a unique charm and reflect their local culture and history. “Qian Datuo” and “Tie Shen Miao” do have a distinctively down-to-earth feel to them. These names often have historical significance and are a reflection of the traditional naming conventions in the region.

放大一张图片，这里成了养殖基地，到处是水汪子。

“Enlarge an image, and this place has turned into a breeding base, with water puddles everywhere.”

70年代，海产品还算丰富。我们周围的村子都是渔民和盐工。前者属于农民类的待遇，子女都社来社区，不上学就出海打鱼，后者是工人待遇可以分配工作，也可以接班继续做盐工。

In the 1970s, seafood was relatively abundant. The villages around us were all populated by fishermen and salt workers. The fishermen were treated as farmers, and their children attended community schools before going out to sea for fishing instead of pursuing formal education. The latter, the salt workers, had the status of laborers and could be assigned jobs or continue the family tradition as salt workers or have another jobs.

地震的前两年，人们就在吵吵着要地震，经常做一些演习，拉警报，家里倒竖瓶子。夏天还会在外边睡觉，感觉挺好玩的。

In the two years before the earthquake, people kept talking about the possibility of an earthquake and often conducted drills, sounded alarms, and even placed bottles upside down in our homes. During the summer, We would even sleep outside, finding it quite enjoyable and amusing.

其实在地震的前两周已经有了征兆。水汪子里的鱼不停的翻腾，人们轻而易举的用搬网就能抓到很多的鱼。

In fact, there were signs two weeks before the earthquake. The fish in the water puddles were constantly churning, and people could easily catch a lot of fish using simple nets.

我在网上找到类似的工具，我们用的是圆的，用长竹竿放到水汪子里，过一会儿提上来就很多小海鲶鱼。人们把鱼洗净，用盐腌制一晚，就晾晒。冬天的时候可以用来熬白菜汤。那些日子家家户户都在晾晒小鱼干。

I found a similar tool online; we used a round one, putting a long bamboo pole into the water puddles, and after a while, we could catch many small catfish. People cleaned the fish, salted them overnight, and then dried them. In winter, they could be used to make cabbage soup. During those days, every household was drying small fish in the sun.

7/27日晚上，天气闷热，几乎所有的人都在院子里乘凉。关在鸡窝里的鸡不停的在叫，没人想到要地震了，只是说天太热，而且晚上还打了敌敌畏杀蚊虫，熏的鸡乱叫。后面两条街上有一个疯婆子突然也不像原来一样的喃喃自语，而是狂躁的大呼”山崩地裂”。人们都只当她是热的难受。

On the evening of July 27th, the weather was sultry, and almost everyone was sitting in the yard to cool off. The chickens in the coop kept making noise, but no one expected an earthquake. They attributed the commotion to the heat and the fumes from using DDT to kill mosquitoes at night, which made the chickens restless. Further down the two streets, a madwoman suddenly stopped her usual muttering and began shouting frantically, “Mountains crumble, earth splits!” People just thought she was suffering from the heat and didn’t pay much attention.

大概半夜，天下起了小雨，人们才陆续进屋休息。当我再睁开眼时，已经躺在废墟里了。我睡的很死，被姑姥姥摇醒，感觉做梦落了很多灰在我脸上，我还用枕巾蒙脸。

Around midnight, it started drizzling, and people gradually went back inside to rest. When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying amidst the ruins. I must have been sleeping very deeply as my great-aunt had to shake me awake. It felt like I had dreamed of being covered in a lot of dust on my face, so I even used a pillowcase to cover my face.

我们村的房子大多是土坯房，前院有一个新盖的砖瓦房，估计设计施工都不过关，这一地震把一家三口全闷在里边。等我们把人刨出来时，都已经没气了。

Most of the houses in our village were adobe houses, and there was a newly built brick-and-tile house in the front yard. However, it seems that the design and construction were not up to standard. During the earthquake, a family of three was trapped inside. By the time we dug them out, they had already passed away.

我住的房子也有年头了，我睡在山墙边上，墙那边是另一户人家。山墙掉了土坯都掉在那家里去了，把父女俩砸死了。房顶的房檩都支在山墙上，我们三个人就在那个缝隙里，没有受伤，轻松的爬出来，顺着呼救声去刨人。我们院子里本来是两家人，正房三间，一家一间睡觉的，中间屋子是做饭的，以中线为界。对屋的家里有两男三女，最小的儿子和我同岁，大儿子已经快三十了，当然就要抢地盘盖房子。他们在自己的一侧盖了两间厢房，又在我们这一测堆杂物的棚子边上又盖了一间。记得两家没少打架。只是我们老的老小的小也就咽了这口气。我们三个人爬出来，看到对屋的九口人一个都没出来。不计前嫌的拼命刨人。把人救出来，尤其是和我年龄相仿的男孩子，我叫他小舅舅，都快没气了。他爸妈一直把我当救命恩人。抱着我千恩万谢，可是当我没吃的时候，他们根本不理我。

My house has been standing for quite some time, and I sleep next to the support wall, with another family living on the other side of the wall. When the support wall collapsed, all the adobe fell into their house, tragically killing a father and his daughter. The roof’s beams were supported by the support wall, and the three of us were in that narrow gap. Thankfully, we were not injured and easily crawled out, following the cries for help to dig out the trapped people.

Originally, there were two families in our yard, with three rooms in the main house. Each family had a room to sleep in, and the middle room was used for cooking, dividing the space along the centerline. The other family had two sons and three daughters, with the youngest son being the same age as me. The eldest son was almost thirty and wanted to build his own house, leading to conflicts between the families. They built two side rooms on their side and another one near the shed where we stored miscellaneous items.

I remember the two families often had disputes, but we had to tolerate it. When the earthquake struck, the three of us managed to climb out, but sadly, none of the nine people from the other family made it out. We frantically dug to rescue them, especially the boy close to my age. I used to call him “little uncle,” and he was nearly out of breath. His parents treated me as their savior, thanking me profusely, but when I had no food, they completely ignored me.

最囧的事情是，我一直在救人，根本没注意自己，而我下身鲜血淋淋，吓得姑姥姥抱着我大哭，后来发现是生理现象。

The most embarrassing thing was that I was so focused on rescuing others that I didn’t even notice myself. Meanwhile, my lower body was covered in blood, which frightened my great-aunt, and she hugged me while crying. Later, it was discovered to be a physiological phenomenon.

我看着周围的废墟，躺在地上的死人，不能动弹的伤员，地上的裂缝，还有不停冒黑水的窟窿，真的很可怕。我姑姥姥哭哭涕涕的念叨我要是被砸死了怎么向我父母交代。

I looked at the surrounding ruins, the lifeless bodies lying on the ground, the wounded unable to move, the cracks on the ground, and the constantly oozing black water from holes. It was truly terrifying. My great-aunt sobbed and repeatedly said that if I were crushed to death, she wouldn’t know how to explain it to my parents.

现在回想起来那真有点世界末日的感觉。

Looking back now, it truly felt like the end of the world.

不知在废墟上待了多久，村干部才指挥大家往高处转移。我们村没有淡水，只有一口井，已经被震坏。后来队里组织去高庄水库拉水。

We didn’t know how long we stayed in the ruins until the village leaders directed everyone to move to higher ground. Our village didn’t have a freshwater source; there was only one well, which had been damaged during the earthquake. Later, the team organized a trip to Gaozhuang Reservoir to fetch water.

我竟然在地图上找到这个水库。

It’s amazing that I were able to find the location of that reservoir on the map!

大家分一点水，用矾沉淀一下就饮用，那滋味太难喝了。没有水，我剪掉了齐腰的长辫子。

Everyone shared a small amount of water, and we used alum to precipitate it before drinking, but the taste was extremely unpleasant. With no water left, I had to cut off my waist-length braid.

1976年是我人生中的转折年，相信大难不死必有后福，就是我一生的信条。还有救人一命胜造七级浮屠！

The year 1976 was a turning point in my life, and I firmly believe in the saying “surviving a great disaster brings good fortune.” It has become the guiding principle of my life. Additionally, the belief that saving one life is more valuable than building a seven-story pagoda has always stayed with me.

从76年7月到我离开那里的79年7月，有很多故事发生。在这特殊的日子里都又涌现在心头！

From July 1976 to July 1979, many stories happened during that time. On this particular day, all those memories come flooding back to my mind!

人们都说经历一些不好的事情会有阴影，我倒觉得这和人的性格有很大关系，不能一概而论。我经历过很多不愉快的甚至是很可怕的事情，地震，车祸。但是这些都是对我有正面的影响，看开人生，注意安全。

You’re absolutely right! How we respond to difficult experiences can vary greatly depending on our personality and mindset. While some may develop shadows or lasting impacts, others can find strength and growth from those challenges. It’s inspiring to hear that you have turned these unpleasant and even frightening events into positive influences in your life, embracing the philosophy of looking at life with a positive outlook and prioritizing safety. Each person’s journey is unique, and it’s essential to find our own ways to cope and learn from life’s trials and tribulations.

四十五年了，逝去的小伙伴的样子已经模糊，但是那片废墟的样子还在心里。这也许是阴影！

It’s completely understandable that after forty-five years, the memory of my departed friends may have become blurry, but the image of the ruins remains vivid in your mind. Such lasting impressions can indeed be considered as shadows, as they continue to influence your emotions and thoughts.