Home >> My Olympic Story (June 28-July 17)

Liu Ning: I will fight forever

My name is Liu Ning. I'm a Ph.D. student at Shanghai Jiaotong University.

I was awarded the honor of being a torchbearer for the Olympic Torch Relay. I was preparing to fulfill this task the week before the earthquake hit Sichuan on May 12. This rendered the following week one of the most unforgettable periods of my whole life.

As vice-chairman of the Student Association, I immediately organized my schoolmates to set up a donation center in Minhang School District and called on all members of the school via the inter-school website, BBS notices and SMS to send donations to the people in the earthquake-affected areas. From May 13 to 19, I arranged around 40 school associations and student unions from 25 departments to organize five large-scale, on-the-spot fund-raising activities.

We witnessed many moving scenes. A poor post graduate who took on four tutoring jobs to be able to send money regularly to his family in his hometown donated 260 yuan. He said calmly, "Mom asked me to donate this month's remittance. My family can make do with less money by living more economically." Donations also came from old retired professors, overseas students and even restaurant cleaning women. Some people even came several times to donate. With these kind people supporting us, we received over 600,000 yuan in five days in the small square in the eastern district, where the torchbearers would pass by with the sacred flame.

On the afternoon of May 16, dozens of Sichuan students came early to our donation site carrying a banner with the words "Sichuan students are grateful to all the teachers and students from Shanghai Jiaotong University who are concerned about Sichuan." They stood in the center of the east district's plaza, shouting "Sichuan students thank you," bowing all the while. They repeated the chant and the bow, many of them choking with sobs. But they were not alone, since their schoolmates from around the country were beside them, carrying another two banners with the words "Let's go hand in hand and heart to heart! Stick together and we can get over any difficulties!" and "Shanghai Jiaotong University makes its own contribution to the disaster-stricken area." These students stood with the banners for two or three hours under extreme heat for five days, beginning on May 13.

The girls got sunburned, the boys suffered from sore throats, but they never held back. This generation of kids, who were often accused of apathetic behavior by their parents, now showed their courage and passion by helping their countrymen. Their voices reverberated throughout the school and I felt very proud. I firmly believe that after going through all these hardships, the Chinese people will definitely overcome any other difficulties and prosper in the world.

Today, running by my school with the sacred flame in hand, I promise to constantly surpass myself and convey care and concern, using the Olympic ideals of 'swifter, higher, stronger' as a source of courage. I will fight throughout my life for people's happiness and my motherland's revival!