HONG KONG, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- On Saturday, at the Moreton Terrace Activities Center in Causeway Bay, a steady stream of people filed into the ground-floor event hall. Some carried white chrysanthemums, their footsteps lacking the cheerful lightness that usually fills the center during regular activities. Most wore solemn expressions, their faces etched with quiet sorrow.
This is one of 18 dedicated memorial sites across Hong Kong set up to mourn the victims of the deadly residential building fire in the city's Tai Po this week, which had left 128 dead and more than 70 injured as of 3 p.m. Friday.
In a sign of collective mourning, government websites and many other portals have switched to monochrome. Starting Saturday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will fly flags at half-staff at official buildings and facilities for three days, a gesture that has rippled across the city as residents grapple with loss.
Wang Fuk Court, the disaster-stricken complex that has stood witness to disaster's cruelty, is seeing the extraordinary outpouring of care that has crossed borders, ages and races.
FULL MOBILIZATION, NO EFFORT SPARED
The blaze ignited on Wednesday afternoon, as workers were tending to exterior renovations at the complex. It spread with terrifying speed, escalating to a severe fire classification before firefighters finally brought it under control more than 40 hours later.
More than 2,300 firefighters and paramedics, and over 1,000 police officers took part in the onsite fire response. An interdepartmental emergency task force has been established, and an emergency mechanism has been activated to coordinate every aspect of the response: extinguishing remaining hot spots, rescuing trapped residents, treating the injured, and laying the groundwork for recovery.
Interdepartmental assistance stations soon popped up at temporary shelters and hospitals. Assistance teams have been established to offer a wide range of services for the affected, ranging from medical care to emotional support.
Ms. Xu, a resident evacuated to a shelter in Tai Po, sat on a mattress laid out on the floor as she watched her 7-year-old son play with his father. "They thought of everything," she said, gesturing to piles of blankets and power banks stacked against the wall. "We didn't have to ask for anything; it was all here."
The fire is out, but the work is far from over. The HKSAR government is now busy with housing the displaced, supporting the grieving, and uncovering what went wrong. A series of targeted programs has been rolled out, covering transitional housing and financial support, among others.
SPONTANEOUS UNITY
Disaster has a way of revealing a community's soul, and in Hong Kong, the response has been a testament to the city's long-held ethos of resilience and mutual aid.
Businesses, both local and mainland-invested, have donated millions in cash and supplies. Residents have rushed to offer help, such as free rides to shelters. Hundreds of private-sector doctors and nurses have volunteered at medical stations, working alongside public health staff to treat the injured and comfort the grieving.
At a public space near Wang Fuk Court, the scene is a portrait of Hong Kong's diversity united by purpose as volunteers wearing different colors of uniforms contribute their part to offering support.
Residents of nearby communities were busy sorting through boxes of donations. Charity organization workers handed out leaflets with contact information for free funeral services. Hong Kong residents who were born in the mainland's Baoding City, after serving as volunteers for the National Games held partly in Hong Kong, handed out oranges and bananas to those in need.
At a blood donation center in Wan Chai, the line stretched out the door. Donors of every ethnicity waited patiently.
"When our compatriots are in trouble, I just wanted to do my part," said an old man surnamed Deng, his hair streaked with gray. He had answered the call to donate blood but was unable to do so due to age restrictions.
"HOW COULD WE NOT HELP?"
The fire has reverberated beyond Hong Kong's borders. The central government has called for timely aid, and the mainland has rallied to support the city, a reminder of the Chinese tradition of "when one place is in trouble, aid comes from all sides."
Guangdong Province, part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, acted fast. Local fire departments lent Hong Kong thermal imaging drones and other specialized equipment to help map the fire's aftermath, while a group of Shenzhen residents drove across the border with thousands of blankets, knowing that many displaced families had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Support has poured in from across the mainland. Government agencies help arrange support supplies, and a multitude of enterprises and foundations have made donations, and so have many ordinary people.
Thousands of miles away, in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, which is home to the popular "Village Super League" amateur football matches, residents gathered at the local stadium on Thursday to donate to Hong Kong's victims.
"When Rongjiang was hit by floods a few years ago, the whole country helped us," the Rongjiang Red Cross Society wrote in an appeal. "We recovered because of that love. Now, it's our turn to give back. Our compatriots in Tai Po are suffering-how could we stay silent? How could we not help?"
At the memorial site, after observing a moment of silence, mourners moved to another area to leave messages in a condolence book.
"May the departed rest in peace. May the living heal soon. Hong Kong, we stand with you," a visitor wrote. ■
