By Jing Huang

The author is a visiting senior research fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore

The earthquake in Sichuan on May 12, which has so far left over 60,000 dead, another 26,000 still missing and 5 million homeless, was the most damaging disaster in China in over three decades. Facing such a massive killer earthquake, the Chinese government responded quickly and effectively. President Hu Jintao immediately called for an "all-out" effort in rescue operations, and within hours Premier Wen Jiabao set up the rescue command center in the disaster zone. Massive rescue forces, formed mainly by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the paramilitary police, were mobilized and deployed to the disaster areas in no time. Meanwhile, China remained open and thankful to international concerns and assistances. All these have been applauded by the world community as well as by the general public in China.

But the most significant phenomenon emerging from this horrific disaster is the unprecedented demonstration of the spirit of citizenship by the ordinary Chinese people.

Immediately after the earthquake, people from all walks of life throughout the country took actions spontaneously, offering their help, donation, and support to the rescue efforts. The outpouring of public support and donations has revealed not just the Chinese people's compassion for their compatriots in this tragic, humanitarian crisis, but, more importantly, their conscious expression of responsibility to their society and nation.

This esprit de corps and sense of responsibility arising from the earthquake rescue-relief operations will have a far-reaching impact on China's development. But its immediate effect has already shown. While the crisis has brought out the best in the Chinese citizens, the government's response to the disaster differs sharply from the traditional view of China's political system, in which the information flow would be under tight control, decisions made behind closed doors and public affairs handled in a top-down fashion.

Instead, we have witnessed that in this extensive rescue operation the Chinese government did not just ride on the national rally but actively responded to its citizens' spontaneous demands and actions. Hundreds of journalists rushed to the disaster areas from all over the country and delivered 24-hour live coverage of the rescue operation, and the people in China and the whole world were instantly informed of the situation. While the entire nation mobilized itself in the rescue efforts, decision-making and coordination were transparent.

When nation-wide support poured into the rescue efforts, decisive actions taken by the Chinese leaders and the crucial role played by government officials and the PLA soldiers have won them people's support and admiration. When millions of citizens, from college students to athletes and movie stars and from workers to entrepreneurs, stood on queues to donate money and blood, the government vowed - and took action - to eliminate corruption in rescue-relief operations and reconstruction.

When the citizens condemned those who built shoddy school buildings that collapsed instantly in the quake, the government promised thorough investigations and punishments to those who cheated in constructions. When the netizens initiated the idea of national mourning for the victims, the government announced a three-day national mourning in memory of the lives lost in the earthquake.

The disaster has rallied the whole nation, but the self-mobilization and spontaneous actions by millions of citizens in the nation-wide rescue efforts were essential to the unprecedented solidarity between the government and citizens in the rescue operation. Indeed, actions and demands based on the consciousness of citizenship can not only spur the government to maintain its efforts, but also inspire a strong sense of responsibility to and confidence in one's nation and people.

But the rising of citizen activism and consciousness will also pose a challenge. This challenge is not necessarily about how the Chinese leaders should respond to citizens' demands - they always have to, but about how the government and eventually the political system can best utilize the demands and activities based on citizen consciousness in the building of the nation-state.

In today's China, where people are increasingly conscious of their rights and interests, thanks to over three decades of reform and openness, any attempts to ignore and contain these demands and activities could only lead to confrontations. Instead, as convincingly shown during this earthquake rescue operation, the Chinese leaders should have the confidence and vision in promoting the consciousness of citizenship and broadening political participation, so that the citizens can fulfill their social responsibility in public affairs. After all, a strong and persistent consciousness of citizenship and citizen responsibility is the foundation for a civil society that is indispensable for the establishment of a harmonious and democratic China.

(China Daily May 28, 2008)