Cheering for China

China marked the beginning of its mourning period this morning with three minutes of sirens that reportedly hushed the whole country. Huge crowds gathered in Tiananmen Square and, after the sirens, let loose with an emotional three minutes of cheering on their country. Chinese state television captured it live:

They're chanting "Hold on, China," "Long live China," and "Let's go, China." (Very roughly - the phrases don't translate well.)

I don't think outside observers have absorbed yet just how emotionally wrecking this tragedy probably feels to the Chinese. The quake was roughly 20 times as deadly as Katrina, figuring conservatively - and the hard slog of caring for the survivors is just beginning. In any other year, the New Year blizzards that stranded millions a few months back would have been historic on their own - imagine nationwide storms in the US essentially canceling Christmas and Thanksgiving for the entire South. Remember, too, that by all accounts, most Chinese feel that they just spent the last month being jeered by most of the West during the Olympic torch run for being the victims of deadly riots launched by separatist religious fanatics. (No, I don't subscribe to that view, but that doesn't change the fact that roughly 1.3 billion Chinese people seem to.)

It's been a rough few months for China, to say the least. And frankly, given how amazingly resilient and generous the Chinese people have proven themselves to be over the last week, they deserve a hearty "Let's go, China," from all of us - as well as some help.