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ANIGHTTHEEARTHDIDN'TSLEEPStrangethingswerehappeninginthecountrysideofnortheastHebei.Forthreedaysthewaterinthevillagewellsroseandfell,roseandfell.Farmersnoticedthatthewellwallshaddeepcracksinthem.Asmellygascameoutofthecracks.Inthefarmyards,thechickensandeventhepigsweretoonervoustoeat.Miceranoutofthefieldslookingforplacestohide.Fishjumpedoutoftheirbowlsandponds.Atabout3:00amonjuly28,1976,somepeoplesawbrightlightsinthesky.ThesoundofplanescouldbeheardoutsidethecityofTangshanevenwhennoplaneswereinthesky.Inthecity,thewaterpipesinsomebuildingscrackedandburst.buttheonemillionpeopleofthecity,whothiughtlittleoftheseevents,wereasleepasusualthatnight.At3:42ameverythingbegantoshake.Itseemedasiftheworldwasatanend!Elevenkilometresdirectlybelowthecitythegreatestearthquakeofthe20thcenturyhadbegun.ItwasfeltinBeijing,whichismorethantwohundredkilometresaway.One-thirdofthenationfeltit.Ahugecrackthatwaseightkilometreslongandthirtymetreswidecutacrosshouses,roadsandcanals.Steamburstfromholesintheground.Hardhillsofrockbecameriversofdir.Infifteenterriblesecondsalargecitylayinruins.Thesufferingofthepeoplewasextreme.Two-thirdsofthemdiedorwereleftwithoutparents.Thenumberofpeoplewhowerekilledorinjuredreachedmorethan400,000.Buthowcouldthesurvivorsbelieveitwasnatural?Everywheretheylookednearlyeverythingwasdestroyed.Allofthecity'shospitals,75%ofitsfactoriesandbuildingsand90%ofitshomesweregone.Brickscoveredthegroundlikeredautumnleaves.Nowind,however,couldblowthemaway.Twodamsfellandmostofthebridgesalsofellorwerenotsafefortravelling.Therailwaytrackswerenowuselesspiecesofsteel.Tensofthousandsofcowswouldnevergivemilkagain.Halfamillionoigsandmillionsofchickensweredead.Sandnowfilledthewellsinsteadofwater.Peoplewereshocked.Then,laterthatafternoon,anotherbigquakewhichwasalmostasstrongasthefirstoneshookTangshan.Someoftherescueworkersanddoctorsweretrappedundertheruins.Morebuildingsfelldown.Water,food,andelectricitywerehardtoget.peoplebegabtowonderhowlongthedisasterwouldlast.Allhopewasnotlost.Soonafterthequakes,thearmysent150,000soldierstoTangshantohelptherescueworkers.Hundredsofthousandsofpeoplewerehelped.Thearmyorganizedteamstodigoutthosewhoweretrappedandtoburythedead.Tothenorthofthecity,mostofthe10,000minerswererescuedfromthecoalminesthere.Workersbuiltsheltersforsurvivorswhosehomeshadbeendestroyed.Freshwaterwastakentothecitybutrain,truckandplane.Slowly,thecitybegantobreatheagain.