On December 8, 1994, more than 300 people died in a fire at Youyi Hotel in a city of Xinjiang Uygur Ethnic Group Autonomous Region. Most were schoolchildren, some were teachers who risked their lives to protect them. The children, selected from performing arts groups of the middle and primary schools in town, came for a performance show to welcome the visiting government officials. They were burned to death because when the fire started, the party organizer ordered that the kids not move and the visiting officials leave first. Unfortunately the fire exits had problems to unlock. Most of the government officials escaped unharmed.
The most adorable died because they were forced to let the least adorable survive.
I wish I had time to translate the full text, because reports in English on the Web are plain news, missing the most heartbreaking part "Let the officials leave first". Those who can read Chinese can click here. Other links are here.
Yong Huang
for the 10th anniversary of the Kelamayi (Karamay) Fire
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