Editor's note: History will never forget May 12, 2008, when, at 2:28 pm, a magnitude-8 earthquake rocked Wenchuan county in Sichuan province and caused countless lives to come to a sudden end.
Today commemorates the 15th anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake. This group of photos present some of the heart-touching moments, the concerted efforts made by Chinese people to organize rescue, and how the earthquake-ravaged region has taken on a whole new aspect.
A parent kneels on the ground, tightly holding the muddy hand of their child who had passed away, as if trying to pull their son's life back from the hands of death, at Juyuan Middle School in Dujiangyan city, Southwest China's Sichuan province on May 13, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
An aerial photograph of Xuankou Middle School in Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county, Southwest China's Sichuan province, after the earthquake on May 16, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
A dormitory building of a middle school in Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county on May 16, 2008, after the earthquake. [Photo/Xinhua]
The collapsed Baihua Bridge in Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county, Sichuan province after the earthquake, is seen in the picture. [Photo/Xinhua]
After the earthquake, a photo album that survived the wreckage quietly lays on the ruins in Dujiangyan city, Sichuan province on May 15, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
A medical worker is seen standing on top of the collapsed ruins in Beichuan county on May 15, 2008. With his back to the camera, he was already in tears. [Photo/CCTV news]
A rescue team is seen carrying injured victims in Yingxiu township, Wenchuan county, Sichuan province on May 15, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
A rescue team is seen carrying injured victims after the earthquake in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province. [Photo/www.js7tv.cn]
This photo taken on May 19, 2008 shows Beichuan High School's senior students resuming classes at Changhong Training Base in Mianyang, Sichuan. During the group photo, the students, without prior discussion, all leaned in close to one another. [Photo/Xinhua]
Soldiers of the People's Armed Police took an admission oath on joining the Communist Party of China, in front of the earthquake ruins in Yingxiu township, Wenchuan county, Sichuan province on May 11th, 2018, ten years after the earthquake occurred. [Photo/Xinhua]
The upper picture shows an aerial photo of Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county on May 5th, 2018; the lower picture shows the aftermath of the earthquake in the same town on May 14th, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
An aerial view of Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county on May 12, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]
An aerial view of Yingxiu town, Wenchuan county on May 12, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]
An arieal photo of the current Beichuan (a severely ravaged county near the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake). [Photo/Xinhua]
