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Yingjie Wang

A photograph of a handwritten note from a passenger on China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, which crashed in southern China on Monday with 132 people on board, caused an emotional stir in China this week.
The note describes a jade disc, a good-luck pendant that symbolises “peace, luck and safety” in traditional Chinese culture. The note was believed to be written by a female passenger with the surname Xiang, who was in her 20s, according to Thepaper.cn.
“The jade disc lucky charm symbolises hope for peace in the year, and a long and healthy life,” she wrote.
Xiang was a live-streaming salesperson and was flying to Guangzhou to host an online sales event for jade products.

The note may have been used for studying because, according to jewellery salespeople, the wording is commonly used to sell jade on television and live streams.
Flight MU5735, a Boeing 737-800, crashed into a forested slope in Guangxi autonomous region on Monday. Flight data suggested the pilots fought to keep the plane airborne because it briefly gained altitude after a 22,000-foot nosedive before dropping again. It crashed 30 seconds later.
A search and rescue operation has been under way since Monday, but no survivors have been found.
One of Xiang’s friends, surnamed Zhao, told Thepaper that they had realised Xiang might have been on the plane when they heard about the crash.
“We calculated the time of the flight and determined that was the route she took. We started to call her, but she did not pick up,” said Zhao.
According to Zhao, the local police department called Xiang’s parents and informed them that she was a passenger on the plane.

Since the accident, Xiang’s parents have struggled to accept the possibility that their daughter may have died in the crash, and they have been posting messages in the comment section of Xiang’s Douyin account, pleading for their daughter to return.
“They discovered the black box, so my daughter should be found soon. We miss you so so much, our daughter; please return home as quickly as possible,” her parents wrote.
At 1am on the day of the accident, Xiang posted a video on Douyin of herself, smiling, with the English words “love you” written across her face, an online trend in China.
Her videos, which typically featured selfies and encouraging words, were often posted in the early morning after she finished her midnight live-streaming sales sessions.
“She was a very motivated person with a nice personality,” Zhao said.
Xiang’s most recent WeChat Moments post is a brief video she filmed on her way to Changshui airport in Kunming to catch the MU5735 flight.
“What kind of goals are worth pursuing and worth always being on the go?” she wrote, finishing her post with three sun emojis.


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China Eastern flight MU5735: Handwritten note found amid wreckage breaks Chinese hearts as rescue efforts continue

Search and rescue workers found a handwritten note found in the wreckage of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 they believe was written by a passenger. Photo: Handout

The handwritten note described a good-luck jade pendant that is often attached to jewellery. Photo: CN Hubei 

A rescuer moves a piece of debris from China Eastern Airlines MU5735. Photo: AP

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Flight data recorder from a plane. Black box. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Rescuers search for the black boxes at the crash site in Guangxi. Photo: Xinhua

Scorched earth at the crash site in Guangxi. Photo: CGTN

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People gather at the entrance of Lu village near the site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed, in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

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A photo taken with a mobile phone shows pieces of wreckage from a crashed passenger plane found at a crash site in Teng County in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Rescuers take a break from their search at the site of a plane crash in Teng county, Wuzhou city, in China’s southern Guangxi region. Photo: AFP

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Pieces of the crashed passenger plane’s wreckage found in Tengxian County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Xinhua

China Eastern has grounded all its 737-800 flights. Photo: Bloomberg

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Debris is seen near the site where a China Eastern Boeing 737-800 crashed in southern China. Photo: AP

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People & Culture

China


The note describes a jade pendant, which symbolises good luck and safety in Chinese culture
The author, surnamed Xiang, was a live-streaming salesperson on her way to a jade sales event



The discovery of a handwritten note from a passenger on the crashed China Eastern Airlines MU5735 painted a picture of the lives affected by the accident.


China Eastern flight MU5735: Handwritten note found amid wreckage breaks Chinese hearts as rescue efforts continue

The note describes a jade pendant, which symbolises good luck and safety in Chinese culture The author, surnamed Xiang, was a live-streaming salesperson on her way to a jade sales event

The note describes a jade pendant, which symbolises good luck and safety in Chinese culture

The author, surnamed Xiang, was a live-streaming salesperson on her way to a jade sales event