Pictures of the Chinese hostages taken in Iraq have been plastered over our newspapers since the video was released by kidnappers holding them at gunpoint.  

The terror in their eyes says it all.

Thousands of miles away, from their impoverished homes, in the remote villages of Fujian Province, we hear desperate prayers. Tearful pleas for the safe return of beloved ones.

Throughout China, hearts and minds are with the eight compatriots as their families wait hopelessly for a life-or-death decision after the most terrifying 48 hours of their young lives.

We join their anxious families and pray for their immediate release and safe trip home in time for the most cherished family reunion of the year, the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival.

It would be too cruel should any of the eight innocent families be deprived of that happiness during a festive season when togetherness is the most important thing.

As our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed, the eight are ordinary Chinese nationals who were on a job-seeking journey in a land of strangers.

The oldest 39, the youngest barely 18, each is the backbone of a poor rural household.

They embarked on their dangerous journeys in the abject hope of making life at home easier.

Lin Qiang, 39, had been unemployed for a long time after being laid off from a local supply and marketing cooperative. His wife has suffered from various chronic illnesses.

Thirty-seven-year-old Chen Qin'ai set out in a bid to make enough to pay school fees for his three children.

They were aware of the potential dangers.

Lin left without telling his wife, who had been against the trip because of security.

But men's obligations to their families finally drove them to ignore the media's constant feed of bad news and brave the risks of a turbulent job market.

They might have left believing Chinese nationals had a better chance of some degree of hospitality and friendship in Iraq.

Here has always been a clear and loud Chinese voice since long before the war started.

Indeed, China was against the war, and has always called for international respect for the Iraqi people's right to make their own choices in nation-building.

Just as our Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated on Tuesday, the Chinese have always been friendly to the Iraqi people.

This nation, from the government to the public, has tremendous sympathy for the suffering of innocent Iraqis during and since the war.

We, like the eight job hunters from the countryside, were confident that such good will would not be repaid with ingratitude.

The hostage takers, who identified themselves as members of the Al Nuamaan Brigade, had asked the Chinese government to clarify its position in 48 hours.

We believe the government's consistent clarification has provided sufficient justification for the release of our fellow countrymen.

The Chinese presence in Iraq is a symbol of goodwill, because we work for peace there.

The eight are innocent Chinese citizens who pose no threat to the country and people of Iraq.

For the people of Iraq, nothing can be more valuable than peace.

Likewise, nothing is more desirable than the safe return of their beloved ones for eight nervous families in rural Fujian.

May the family reunion dinner in those poor homes on the lunar new year's eve be filled with laughter, not tears.

(China Daily January 20, 2005)