On Thursday afternoon, 30-year-old Wang Desheng received an unexpected phone call from a relative back in his hometown. “He told me directly, ‘Your father died,’” said Wang. His village, Danping, was one of the worst-hit in last week’s tornado that left 99 dead in Jiangsu province, eastern China.
Like so many of his fellow villagers, Wang had left Danping long ago to look for work in the city. Many of the dead in last Thursday’s tornado were the elderly parents left behind by their migrant worker children. Wang works in Suzhou, more than 200 kilometers away. When he got the call, he stopped work and immediately rushed back home.
“When I saw my father’s body, his face was covered with blood,” Wang recalled. During the tornado on Thursday, Wang’s father, Wang Fufu, 75, ran out of his house to escape the destruction. He was blown to the riverside and killed by flying rubble, according to neighbors who witnessed the scene. “He died so suddenly, I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye,” Wang said.
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As his parents’ only son, Wang, whose mother died 14 years ago, now carries most of the burden of looking after his two sisters. After graduating from senior middle school, Wang landed a job in a factory making remote control devices. “I earned 30,000 yuan (about $4,500) per year,” he said, adding that this was barely enough to send money home. “I bought some nice, warm clothes for my father, but he cherished them so much that he barely wore them. Now I can only burn them as an offering to him, hoping that he will have good clothes in heaven.”
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Wang Desheng carries a stack of joss paper as he passes by a damaged high-voltage tower in Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Fufu’s belongings in what was his backyard in Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Pants and clothes that belonged to Wang Fufu are seen among the rubble of his damaged house in Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Fufu’s elder daughter touches her father’s portrait during the funeral in Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Desheng is surrounded by his relatives, who are discussing details about Wang Fufu’s funeral, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Desheng sits in the corridor of a funeral home in Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Desheng speaks with his relatives about arrangements for his father’s funeral, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Desheng, holding his father’s portrait, and his relatives burst into tears as they enter the funeral hall, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Guiyun (Wang Desheng’s sister, second from right) cries as others comfort her before the funeral, Chenliang Township, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Relatives of the dead wear white clothing as an expression of mourning. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Relatives weep upon seeing Wang Fufu’s body during the funeral, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Fufu’s body is transported to be cremated after the funeral, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Wang Desheng holds his father’s ashes and portrait after the funeral, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
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Damaged houses and trees are seen behind Wang Desheng as he goes to bury his father’s ashes, Chenliang Township, Funing County, Jiangsu province, June 26, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone
(Header image: Wang Desheng stands on his father’s damaged house in Chenliang Town, Funing County, Jiangsu province, Jiangsu province, June 25, 2016. Wu Yue/Sixth Tone)
