1976 Tang Shan Earthquake

Survey Proved the Existence of Life after Death in Tang Shan Earthquake in China

Qigong Practice Network

August 19, 2012 Commentary

On July 28, 1976, a small village in northern China named Tang Shan was struck by a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that resulted in more than 240,000 people dead and 160,000 were wounded. After this dreadful disaster, a Chinese medical team conducted a survey on the survivors of the 1976 earthquake. Most of the survivors were hit by the debris and buried under the wreckage. More than half of the survivors remember that while they were buried, that they were fearless with a lucid mind, felt calm, profoundly comfortable, and they felt no sense of panic. Despite this calamity, some people reported feeling blissful and filled with euphoria. They reported seeing a rapid thought image of many clips, like a movie from their past showing joyful moments, happy childhood memories, scenes of getting married, job promotions and rewards, and etc. They were reporting a life review phenomenon.

One lady, Miss Liu, who was then 23 years old, was knocked out by a collapsed house that crashed her spine. Consequently, she would never walk again. She recalled her near-death experience, “My consciousness was vivid. Some happy moments run like a revolving lantern as they flashed back before me. I remember merrily playing with my childhood friends, dating my boyfriend, and getting a merit at work.”

It is most interesting that nearly half of the NDErs experienced a separation of consciousness or souls from their body, feeling the “self” had left his/her physical body. This is called an out of body episode. They emphasized their consciousness existed outside of their body in another dimension, instead of dwelling in their brain. In addition, they sensed their flesh to be lifeless without the ability to think. Some even reported they were floating up in mid-air over their body or looking down from the ceiling while watching their body. The consciousness still had vital signs such as pulses, breathing, in-and-out of body or in some form was connected to their bodies. Compared to their flesh, the consciousness is much lighter than the physical body, but it remains the same as for their height and age. Some of them claimed they are disabled, deaf or missing parts of a limb. Yet, they are perfectly normal in the physical world. One NDEr explained, “I noticed there are two “selves,” one is lying on a bed like an empty shell, while the other has a human form in a weightless state as light as air, hovering in space cozily.”

Approximately one third of the experiencers traveled through an area like a cave or a tunnel. Sometimes this situation would be accompanied by noises, or a sensation of being pulled or squeezed. This is the “tunnel part of the experience.” A light became visible when they are moving toward the end of the tunnel. “Approaching to the Light.” One person recorded, “A wind was fiercely blowing sand around, but I am alone in this solitude. Where should I go? While I am wondering where to go, a dark, black hole emerged. I was not afraid of it and walked into the cavern inside where water splashed in ripples everywhere. Walking endless until it seems to be a light illuminated from afar. I run briskly out of it then see the daylight.”

About one fourth of people who took the survey were met by non-human forms or spiritual Beings. Mostly they were deceased relatives, whose life continued after death in this realm. It could be the people they knew on Earth or just complete strangers. They reunited with the deceased. Some people described the spirits as “brilliance”, whereas others thought the beings to be religious figures. Mr. Lee, one of the survivors in Tang Shan earthquake, remember his NDE, “My whole body was detached from me; lower limbs were disappeared. Up in the air my body parts were scattered. Then I plunged at high speed into an abyss where I was surrounded by darkness. I was baffled by a noise that was hard to explain. I heard it consistently for half an hour. Then I experienced a brief life review. I saw the events presented as in a stream of consciousness, yet not controlled by the brain.

Another survivor, Mr. Wang, who recounted, “Vaguely, I was in another dimension. A man who was in a long, mandarin robe-like jacket walked lamely toward me. Although he was in front of me, he was blurry so I couldn't see him very well. He took me into a fathomless, black hole. It was pitch-dark, so I followed him involuntarily. After we walked out of this black hole, I was in an underground palace that glittered golden.”

The surveyor summarized that among all the survivors, there are 81 cases that have been validated and categorized them with 40 types of elements. This includes a life review, separation of the consciousness from the body, weightlessness, alienation to their physical body, eccentric sensations, destruction of the Earth, integrated with the universe, and cessation of time. The majority of experiencers, experienced at least two or more of these sensations.

According to the survivors of Tang Shan earthquake investigations, although only 81 incidents were verified, it is the largest-scale sample of near-death experiences in the world. Among these 81 participants, 47 of them underwent personality changes by becoming mellow afterwards. They were less controlling and less judgmental. They also became optimistic and less uptight after meeting the unearthly beings or souls. Even 10 to 20 years later, many of these people still remember their near-death experiences as if it happened yesterday. It is amazing the similarities among China and other countries as a result of the NDE experiences.