CCTV interview with Sichuan reporter Wang Qian and wife of Chen Jian

One week after last month's deadly Sichuan Earthquake, we brought to you the heartrending story of Chen Jian (陈坚), a young man who was pinned under the rubble for 73 hours, but unfortunately didn't make it after rescuers managed to extract him after working on him for six hours. Today, Zhang Qian (张倩), the reporter who was by Chen Jian's side in his last moments still breaks down whenever she thinks of him. In this interview with CCTV, she tearfully recounts of how she and her cameraman could not help but weep when they entered Beichuan that fateful day and saw how it was completely flattened by the quake, and of how she shuddered to think of how many people were under her each time she had to walk over the rubble. She also highlights the bravery of one Jiangsu rescuer by the name of Ouyang Honghong (欧阳宏宏) who risked his own life by taking off his helmet because that was the only way he could enter the rubble and help reposition Chen Jian's body.

In the days following Chen Jian's death, Zhang Qian simply could not take her mind off him, and has been on the search for his family members ever since. She eventually got in touch with Chen's wife and mother who have come to see his last moments on TV with their own eyes. Chen's wife breaks down uncontrollably as she recalls her short-lived (6 months) but happy marriage with Chen Jian after three years of courtship. His mother says Chen Jian had always been a brave young man and had lived up to his name ("Jian" in Chinese means "brave").

Previously on Shanghaiist
The heart-rending story of Chen Jian