维吉尼斯学院大屠杀

It's a terrible tragedy that has shocked the entire world, and has sent ripples through the academic community in the United States.  In the early morning hours of Monday on the campus of Virginia Tech, in the east coast US state of Virginia, a young man began what would become the worst ever mass shooting in United States history.  Now identified as 23-year old Cho Seung-hui, a 4th year English major at Virginia Tech, armed himself with a pair of handguns after killing two students in a dormitory, and began a rampage of violence that would eventually lead to the deaths of 33 people, including himself.  As the world continues to speculate as to why this South Korean-born man would commit such a horrible act, questions about safety and security in the United States are also being asked, a country home to almost a third of all the guns in all the world. 

Students in Virginia Tech listen to Bush's speech. [Photo:cnsphoto]

Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  In this edition of our show, we'll talk about the Virginia Tech massacre.  We'll talk to a Chinese student who studies at the school.  And we'll also talk to a University professor here in China who spent many years teaching in Virginia.  So let's get started.

(Music)

First, we get the latest from the campus itself.  We're joined on the line from Blacksberg, Virginia, the community where Virginia Tech is located, by Mr. Zuo Jian, Computer Engineering graduate student at Virginia Tech who moved their two years ago from his native Changsha, in southern China's Hunan Province.

(Dialogue with Zuo)

We're going to take a quick break.  When we come back, we'll talk to an expert on US Domestic politics who has a close connection to the people of Virginia.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  I'm Paul James in Beijing.  In this edition of our show we're talking about the Virginia Tech massacre that has left 33 people dead, the worst mass shooting in US history.  For more on this, we're joined on the line now by Dr. Michael Prosser with the Shanghai International Studies Center, who's an expert in US domestic politics and cross-cultural communications.

(Dialogue with Prosser)

And with that, we conclude this edition of People In the Know, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  33 lives lost, hundreds more scared forever.  And one of the most disturbing parts is that we may never know why.  We'd like to hear what you have to say about the Virginia Tech massacre.  Send us an email to crieng@crifm.com.  For Executive Director Lin Lin and Producer Wang Lei, I'm Paul James in Beijing.  Take care.