A few days ago, a major fire broke out in Hong Kong. Eight residential buildings under exterior renovation caught fire in dry, windy conditions. The flames spread uncontrollably and burned for over thirty hours, until nothing was left.
That night, I barely slept. On the news, alongside cries for help, people left messages: “There’s a cat at home.” “There’s a dog.” For the first time, I fully realized that in disasters, the trapped are not only humans. I cannot imagine the fear and helplessness of pets left alone when the fire arrived.
The next day, as the fire weakened, firefighters entered for rescue. Good news came one after another as residents were saved. What moved me most was that they also rescued many animals: a 15-year-old dog, an 18-year-old cat, a parrot, and even a snake, a turtle, and a tank of goldfish… I was deeply moved. I have pets myself, and I know they are never “just animals,” but irreplaceable family.
Honestly, the rescue of these animals moved me even more than the rescue of people. Saving people is what we naturally expect of firefighters. But in such a disaster, they still searched carefully for a tank of goldfish—this is what I truly admire.
To some, in the face of catastrophe, the lives of cats and dogs seem insignificant, and goldfish or hamsters even more so. Yet it is precisely these “insignificant” lives that most clearly test a society’s respect for life.
I was suddenly reminded of a story:
One morning, I walked along the shore and saw countless little fish trapped in shallow pools. Soon the water would evaporate, and they would die. Ahead, a little boy kept bending down, picking up fish and throwing them back into the sea.
I asked him, “There are hundreds, even thousands. You can’t save them all.”
“I know,” he said.
“Then why do it? Who cares?”
“This fish cares,” he said, tossing another fish into the sea.
He kept repeating, “This little fish cares. And this one too.
And this one, and this one…”
This disaster made me realize that Hong Kong is a truly warm and civilized city. I love my country, yet I must admit with sadness that in many parts of mainland China, ideas such as “all life is equal” and “animals deserve to be seen” are still far from widely accepted. I hope to use art to make these overlooked lives truly visible.
In a fire that burned down eight buildings, who would care about a tank of goldfish?
owner cares. kind people cares.
This fish cares. And this one too.
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