'I Love This City': China Property Mogul a Witness to Boston Bombing

When a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, the news spread rapidly through Chinese social media, thanks largely to the presence on the sidelines of one of the country's best known real estate moguls: Wang Shi, founder and chairman of China Vanke Co., the country's largest property developer.

Mr. Wang, who had traveled to Boston to support a group of Vanke staffers who were running the race, was live tweeting the event through his account on the popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo Chinese microblogging service. At about 3 a.m. Beijing time, roughly 10 minutes after the first bomb exploded, pictures on Mr. Wang's feed of employees running with red Vanke flags past cheering onlookers gave way to images of smoke rising above the finishing zone in Boston's Copley Square.

'The first explosion wasn't very loud -- like a tire blowing out or salute from a gun,' Mr. Wang told China Real Time by phone from Boston. 'After the second explosion, we realized something was wrong but we were confused about what it was.'

The property developer, who was seated in a VIP section near the finish line, said 15 Vanke employees had entered the race and seven were still running when the first explosion hit. None were injured. It was the first time employees had taken part in the race, he said, though the company had twice participated in the annual Head of the Charles Regatta on the city's Charles River.

'I'm angry that terrorists took advantage of an international competition,' Mr. Wang said. 'I love this city. I love the attitude of people in Boston.'

At least three people were killed and more than 100 injured in the explosions, the first of which hit at around 2:50 p.m., about four hours into the race. Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of the Boston FBI, said at a news briefing on Monday night that federal authorities were considering their probe into the blasts a 'potential terrorist investigation.'

News of the bombing was widely covered by Chinese media, including on the main noon news program of state broadcaster China Central Television, and ranked among the top trending topics on Sina Weibo on Monday morning, accounting for more than five million posts just prior to noon Beijing time. The tragedy mostly elicited expressions of sympathy from Chinese Internet users, with several posting virtual candles in honor of those killed.

'There are too many madmen in this world,' wrote one Sina Weibo user. 'Ideology leads them to commit inhuman acts.'

To be sure, some responses were unsympathetic or even openly hostile, and a handful of microbloggers tempered their sympathy for innocent people injured in the Boston blast by saying greater numbers of innocent people have been killed as a result of the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, the dominant refrain was mournful -- -- a notable departure from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington, which were openly celebrated by many in China.

'When 9-11 happened, I also cheered. Now I feel ashamed for the foolishness of my 20-year-old self,' wrote one microblogger.

In an echo from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, when the Chinese Internet was awash in praise for the orderly reactions of Japanese residents, a number of Sina Weibo users wrote in glowing terms of the way authorities and regular people in Boston responded to the bombings.

'Just watched video of the Boston Marathon explosion. What struck me was how, after the explosion happened, around a hundred people rushed in to save others, giving whatever help they could. This is a stirring example of great strength,' wrote Li Shuangfu, a Los Angeles-based sports reporter.

'The speed and effectiveness with which government and media responded to the explosions in Boston today is something our government would do well to study and contemplate,' added Chen Huakui, a media executive from northern China's Hebei province. 'When an incident occurs, they should react positively, not try to obscure things. Cover-ups only make matters worse.'

Mr. Wang, of Vanke, said he was also impressed with how quickly authorities reacted. He added that Vanke -- China largest property developer by market capitalization, which has been trying to expand into the U.S. market -- planned to continue to participate in future marathons in the city. 'The bombing won't affect our involvement in the future at all,' he said. 'Terrorists cannot destroy the positive power of this city.'

爆炸事件亲历者王石：我爱波士顿

周一，波士顿马拉松赛终点附近发生两次爆炸，这一消息迅速传遍了中国社交媒体。在很大程度上这要归功于站在赛道旁观战的中国知名地产大亨王石。王石是中国最大的地产开发商万科企业股份有限公司(China Vanke Co.)的创始人和董事长。

王石通过新浪微博现场直播这场赛事。他来到波士顿是为参加马拉松赛的万科员工加油鼓劲的。北京时间周二凌晨大约三点（此时距第一次爆炸已经过去大约10分钟），王石的微博上出现波士顿科普利广场(Copley Square)终点区域上空烟雾弥漫的照片，此前他的微博上还满是万科员工身披红色万科旗帜穿过欢呼人群的照片。

身在波士顿的王石通过电话对“中国实时报”栏目说，第一次爆炸声不是很大，就像轮胎爆裂或鸣礼炮的声音。第二次爆炸后，我们意识到出事了，但我们还是不清楚到底发生了什么情况。

坐在终点线附近VIP区域的王石说，有15名万科员工参加此次马拉松赛，第一次爆炸发生时有七人仍在参加比赛。没有人受伤。他说这是万科员工首次参加这一赛事，但该公司曾两次参加在波士顿查尔斯河上举行的每年一次的查尔斯河赛舟会(Head of the Charles Regatta)。

王石说，恐怖分子竟然利用这一国际赛事，我感到很气愤；我爱这座城市，我喜欢波士顿人的生活态度。

爆炸造成至少3人死亡，100多人受伤。第一次爆炸大约发生在当地时间下午两点50分，此时比赛已经进行了大约四个小时。负责美国联邦调查局波士顿分部的特别探员德斯劳里尔斯(Richard DesLauriers)在周一晚上举行的新闻发布会上说，有关联邦部门正考虑将其对爆炸的调查当成是对“可能存在的恐怖分子的调查”。

中国媒体广泛报道了此次爆炸事件，其中包括中国中央电视台在正午播出的主要新闻节目。周一上午此次波士顿爆炸案也成为新浪微博上的热门话题，截至北京时间周二中午前，这一话题下已有500多万条微博。这一惨剧引发大多数中国网民的同情，很多人在微博上点起虚拟蜡烛悼念遇难者。

一位新浪微博用户写道，这个世界上有太多的疯子，意识形态导致他们犯下不人道行为。

可以肯定的是，一些评论并没有对此表示出同情，甚至公开表示出敌意。一些微博用户虽然对此次波士顿爆炸案中受伤的无辜群众表示同情，但他们却说美国领导的伊拉克和阿富汗战争导致更多无辜的人遇难。尽管如此，大部分评论还是对惨剧表示同情。这和2001年9月11日世界贸易中心(World Trade Center)和华盛顿(Washington)遭袭时中国人的反应有很大不同。当时有很多中国人公开庆祝911事件。

一位微博用户写道，911的时候，我也在叫好，现在为自己20几岁时的愚蠢感到羞愧。

2011年3月日本福岛核灾难发生时，中国的网络上充满了对日本民众有序反应的赞誉。与此类似的是，许多新浪微博用户以热情的笔调称赞波士顿市政府和普通民众在爆炸发生后的反应。

驻洛杉矶的体育记者黎双富在微博上写道，看了一段波士顿马拉松爆炸案的视频，让我印象深刻的是，爆炸发生后，数以百计的人都不顾一切冲向事发点救人，提供自己力所能及的帮助，这是一种震撼人心的伟大力量。

中国河北的一位媒体业高管陈怀奎说，从今天美国波士顿恐怖爆炸案政府及媒体的反应速度及积极应对方式很值得我们的ZF去学习、反思。遇事应积极应对而不是遮掩，欲盖弥彰。现在的信息传播是遮不住，盖不全。寓民终究会寓自己。

王石说，有关部门的快速响应也给他留下了深刻印象。他说万科计划继续参加波士顿马拉松赛。他说此次爆炸完全不会影响我们未来参与此项赛事，恐怖分子无法摧毁这个城市的积极的力量。按市值计算，万科是中国最大的房地产开发商，该公司正试图扩大版图，进入美国市场。