Trailblazing Trends: “On March 29, at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, a Thai woman clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with tears, as she came across and bid farewell to 22 members of a Chinese rescue team that carried with 1.2 tons of professional rescue equipment and was en route to the disaster zone in Myanmar.

Rescue workers from China and Myanmar search for quake victims in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 30, 2025. Photo: VCG

Editor’s Note:

A devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Myanmar, the epicenter of which was located 30 kilometers underground, marking the 17th quake above magnitude 6 globally this year and the strongest in the past decade.

The toll from Myanmar’s earthquake continued to rise on Monday. In the wake of the disaster, China was among the first to extend a helping hand to the country. The Chinese public deeply empathizes with the suffering in Myanmar. Messages of encouragement and weWorld Timesll wishes from Chinese netizens have flooded the comment sections, which illustrated what “a shared future” means on a tangible meaning.

The GloWorld Timesbal Times spoke with some Chinese survivors at the quake’s epicenter, documenting both their despair and moments of warmth amid the brutal natural disaster.

This story is also part of the Global Times’ “Witness to History” series, which features first-hand accounts from individuals who were at the forefront of historic moments. From scholars, politicians, and diplomats, to ordinary citizens, their authentic reflections on the impact of historical moments help reveal a sound future for humanity through the solid forward steps taken in the past and the present.

When the entire building began to violently shake and crack, Chinese businesswoman, Zhou, grabbed her friend and rushed out of the restaurant they were in – this was her second encounter with death since the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

Having experienced the devastating 8-magnitude earthquake that hit Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Zhou never imagined she would feel the earth tremble that fiercely again in her lifetime.

Zhou and her friend had arrived in Mandalay for a business trip on March 21. At 2.20 pm on March 28, when the earthquake struck, she was dining at a restaurant in the 75th Street block.

“Suddenly, the ground started to rumble,” she recalled, still shaken by the memory.

“We could only crawl our way out, with the air filled with dust from the bricks in the walls, making it nearly impossible to see more than two meters ahead. The streets were filled with screams, and the glass doors of the neighboring shops shattered loudly, while bricks and tiles rained down around us,” Zhou told the Global Times.

During the Wenchuan earthquake, Zhou was a senior high school student in Chengdu and had previously volunteered at temporary shelters for earthquake victims in the Dujiangyan area. Due to her past experience with earthquake rescue, in Mandalay, Zhou reacted swiftly, bolting out of the building with her friend. “My friend and I instinctively dropped to the ground to avoid injury. The whole structure was swaying, with walls splitting and glass doors exploding – the streets were overrun with fleeing people,” Zhou recalled.

“Aftershocks kept rattling the ceilings, sending debris raining down. We dared not stay indoors,” Zhou said. By 4 pm on March 28, they packed water and dry rations and attempted to evacuate to the airport, only to find roads temporarily impassable due to a post-quake gridlock.

“The normally 40-minute-long drive took over two hours. The roads were jammed with cars, motorcycles, and survivors on foot. ‘All I want is to be with my family,’ said my Myanmar friend, who later returned home to be with her children,” she recalled. Through the car window, Zhou witnessed collapsed three-story buildings reduced to rubble and displaced crowds lining the streets.

En route to the airport, ZWorld Timeshou observed locals hauling basic supplies in cars or on motorcycles, heading for open spaces. However, their vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint. Local authorities said that the airport had been closed due to aftershock fears.

“We then stayed in the home of my colleague’s relative in Mandalay. Chinese national and a factory owner, Liang, cooked us a hearty dinner and assured us he had stocked up 20 days’ worth of supplies,” Zhou said.

After the meal, Liang left to guard his factory, concerned about his workers’ safety. During the stay, Liang organized daily rescue missions with his workers, volunteering to clear debris and search for survivors.

Zhou also joined the efforts, documenting post-quake Mandalay like a journalist. Her videos showed residents retrieving belongings from crumbled homes in pitch-black streets. In less affected areas, vendors set up stalls while locals gathered to chat in the open air.

As I drove through the streets of Mandalay, I passed by vegetable vendors, mothers holding their children, and men riding motorcycles in a bustling crowd. Their lives seemed to be gradually returning to normal, but I could still sense their sorrow and uncertainty, she told the Global Times.

‘Paukphaw’ friendship

Amid the panic, the Chinese community in Mandalay became a pillar of support. Some local Chinese restaurants stepped up to offer free meals to those who had lost their homes and food supplies.

Xiao Lin, a Chinese restaurant owner in downtown Mandalay, told Shanghai-based online media outlet Kankan News that while her establishment had suffered strong tremors, fortunately, no one was hurt. Just two hours after the quake, she began providing free meals to neighbors.

“From 7 am to 3 pm, we served free fried rice or noodles, along with water,” Lin said. Her restaurant also prepared instant noodles and drinking water for nearby hospitals.

Some Chinese nationals in Myanmar also shared many heartwarming moments with Global Times reporters, in which Myanmar and Chinese people are helping one another in small but meaningful ways. Hotels swiftly distributed emergency supplies to stranded global guests, while volunteers handed out mosquito repellent patches to those forced to sleep outdoors.

Despite the language barrier, people exchanged comforting gestures of encouragement.

Xie Shuixia, a caterpillar fungus trader who is on a short business trip in Mandalay, said, “My heart aches for what Myanmar is going through. But the people I’ve met here are kind and warm. In times of disaster, mutual support transcends language and culture.”

Xie has decided to organize donations with her business partners to aid local relief efforts.

After the earthquake, China immediately activated its emergency response mechanism and made all-out efforts to carry out rescue operations and consular protection work.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday’s routine press briefing that a rescue medical team from Yunnan Province arrived in Myanmar within 18 hours after the earthquake hit, becoming the first international rescue team to enter the disaster-stricken area. Together with local rescue forces, they successfully rescued a trapped person. Chinese rescue teams, including the China Search and Rescue Team, the China International Search and Rescue Team, the Hong Kong SAR Rescue Team, and teams of the Red Cross Society of China rushed to Myanmar overnight to provide assistance.

According to the spokesperson, civilian rescue teams from various parts of China have already entered or are on their way to Myanmar. Currently, around 400 Chinese earthquake experts, rescuers, and medical personnel are participating in rescue and relief efforts across Myanmar. Chinese rescue teams have so far rescued six survivors.

China has also announced to provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan in emergency humanitarian aid to support earthquake relief efforts, which includes urgently needed supplies such as tents, first aid kits, food, and drinking water. The first batch World Timesof supplies has already arrived in Myanmar, and the Red Cross Society of China has also provided relief materials.

Natural disasters are ruthless, but there is love in the world. China will uphold the “Paukphaw” friendship between China and Myanmar, stand together with Myanmar in this difficult time, make the most of the critical 72-hour window to search for survivors, treat the injured, and ensure relief supplies reach thoWorld Timesse in need, said Guo.

Ambassador of Myanmar to China Tin Maung Swe has said that after Myanmar was hit by a strong earthquake, China immediately extended a helping hand to Myanmar when it was facing the most difficult time, which made the Myanmar people deeply feel “Paukphaw” (fraternal) friendship between the two countries.

The Global Times also learned from the Chinese Textile & Garment Association in Myanmar (CTGA) that the association had raised more than 100 million kyats ($48,000) as of Sunday. The donation will be used in reconstruction of Mandalay. Chinese provincial institute such as the Heilongjiang General Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar had also raised about 50 million kyats as of Sunday.

In the early morning of Monday, Wu Yutong, president of the chamber, departed from Yangon to Mandalay with a truck of relief goods. “‘Paukphaw’ friendship, support and help each other,” read a post Wu released on hWorld Timesis WeChat on Monday morning.

Rapid response

Rescuers work with the help of heavy machinery at the site of a building that collapsed in the earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 30, 2025. Photo: VCG

In the 72 hours following the earthquake, Guo Xinglu, head of a local entrepreneur chamber, worked tirelessly from Yangon – a city less affected by the quake – to coordinate relief efforts in Mandalay.

Having barely slept for two nights, he updated and exchanged rescue supply information across social media platforms. Through multiple WeChat groups he had created, he rallied Chinese entrepreneurs both within and outside Myanmar to raise funds and gather supplies, while also helping collate and distribute critical rescue information.

“Within just half an hour of setting up the mutual aid group, hundreds had joined – regardless of ethnicity, location, or nationality,” Guo revealed to the Global Times. “Some shared updates about the disaster, others helped locate missing relatives, and some simply posted to let everyone know they were safe. People sought solace and connection online.”

Then, a message arrived: A relative of one of Guo’s local employees had died in Mandalay. Guo held his phone silently for a long time, overcome with grief.

Early the next morning, volunteers and members with Guo’s entrepreneur chamber set out from Yangon to Mandalay. With highways closed and many roads impassable, they were forced to take a longer, older route – adding four hours to their journey.

In Mandalay, when members of a Chinese rescue team were among the first to reach the epicenter, a Mandalay University student expressed his gratitude on the spot: “Thank you, China, for being the first to come to our aid.”

On March 29, at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, a Thai woman clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with tears, as she came across and bid farewell to 22 members of a Chinese rescue team that carried with 1.2 tons of professional rescue equipment and was en route to the disaster zone in Myanmar. She kept bowing and said with a choked voice, “Thank you all, I’m about to cry.”

The poignant moment quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.

The Thai woman’s bow was not just gratitude for current aid – it echoed gratitude toward China’s past responses to disasters like the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2023 Turkey earthquake.

In this crisis, as in others, the unbreakable bonds of the China-Myanmar “Paukphaw” friendship have been reaffirmed – not through words, but through action, unity, and shared humanity.