Before we left for China, we had heard about the pollution, but didn't think much of it because we were a little more focused on getting our son. Beijing is ranked #1 globally for poor air quality, and Guangzhou is #8. For some reason though, Zhengzhou seemed the worst to me. When we walked into our hotel room, it smelled of smoke (no surprise in China). We opened the windows and cleared out the smell, but it still didn't smell right to me. Tom was ready to request a room transfer but I went out in the hallway and went down to the lobby, walked around, came back to our room, and them realized- it was just the air everywhere. It stuck in your throat and burned your nostrils. When I blew my nose after a few days in Zhengzhou, it was bloody.
There is speculation that many of the special needs in China are caused by pollutants in the air, water and soil. After being in Zhengzhou, I remembered the story of the children of the coal in Shanxi.
"In China's Shanxi province the rate of children born with congenital defects is six times the national average. With many of these infants abandoned, a remarkable figure has embarked on a heartbreaking mission.
Kong Zhenlan's 31 adopted children were all born with defects and abandoned by their poverty-stricken parents in an area devastated by coal pollution. "When I started claiming for these children's rights, the officials would insult me." The tiny but indomitable 'Mama Kong' stood up to the bullying for the sake of her constantly growing brood. "They tried to intimidate me to make me give up. They don't dare anymore." For over 20 years she has fought for identity cards, operations to fix their deformities and a place at school for each child. Mama Kong's work may be a drop in the ocean, but thanks to her this small group of youngsters now have the rare chance of a normal life."
No comments:
Post a Comment