People scan a board filled with pictures of quake victims at the Dujiangyan Funeral Parlor in Sichuan province.
Wang Jin, 38, deputy chief of the only crematorium in badly ravaged Dujiangyan, a stout man with a deep voice, failed to hold back tears while recalling the days at his place after the massive Wenchuan earthquake.
"I was nearly on the brink of a breakdown when parents clung to the small bodies of their children killed in the disaster, right before the cremation," Wang, a veteran undertaker, told China Daily yesterday at his small office, which has a crack in the roof caused by quake.
In the courtyard, a unique aroma released by white gardenias in full blossom permeated the air.
During the first few days following quake, "It was full of the unpleasant smell of dead bodies, mostly children, and extreme grief here," he said.
At that time, the electricity and water supply were off. Parents of the children killed by the quake, before cremation, washed the dead bodies of their dearest with bottled drinking water provided by the funeral home.
"I saw a young mom remove the dried blood gently and carefully with her wet sleeves from the face of her little girl and then kiss her on the cheek," recalled Wang.
"She looked utterly pale and glassy eyed and kept whispering to her daughter who would never be able to respond."
During the night, a crowd of parents stayed in the corridors clutching their dead children in their arms, waiting for them to be cremated, he said.
"You couldn't even walk down the corridor. We had so many corpses to deal with, we had to work round the clock."
On normal days, the crematorium, which has six incinerators, manages about 20 bodies, Wang said.
That number rose to more than 100 a day after the quake. As of yesterday, nearly 900 remains of quake victims have been cremated at the crematorium, which is one of nine in Chengdu designated and coordinated by the provincial government.