The main reason for my visit to Jianchuan was the quake museum. There is always controversy when a museum commemorates a disaster or dark chapter in history. This one tells of the event, has a selection of quake inspired art, and includes an earthquake science floor. The entrance wall is lined with poems of the 'Children to Mothers in Heaven' sort, thankfully in Chinese so I only got a mild sense of how tear-jerking they are. This neat sculpture of the quake area is built from twisted rebar:
There are several quake detruction and rescue diorama type exhibits.
One of the things people remember most was the prime minister's swift flight to the disaster area as soon as the news of the quake broke. Here is the water bottle and handwipes he used as well as the megaphone.
One of the most interesting areas was the quake inspired art. Quite a few of the well known heroic stories were depicted, like the mother who managed to text a message to her surviving baby underneath her before the mother died, and the boy who saluted the soldiers rescuing him with his good arm. This one is called Face Changing (an art typical of Sichuan theatre) and shows a Sichuan opera mask, and the front face is covered with newspaper articles on the disaster.
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