The longtang of Shanghai are quickly disappearing, thanks in part to land development and the desire to flatten blocks of centuries-old neighborhood housing to build modern office and residential towers—monuments to the “progress” and “forward thinking” of the new republic.

When the massive 8.0 earthquake struck Sichuan Province in Western China during the afternoon of May 12. Initial reports were spotty and gave little idea of the apocalyptic number of casualties, but by late evening it was becoming somberly clear that the situation was grave in the extreme.

There is hardly any talk of politics here. Breaking the silence is treated with fear and suspicion by most Tibetans, who have adjusted to living under Chinese rule. A billboard on the outskirts of Lhasa shows Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong, and Jiang Zemin in front of Potala palace, wearing beatific smiles—a cynical reminder that, with China's dominance, the people of Tibet have new leaders that they must worship and obey.