At eight o'clock in the evening in the early North Korean summer, the setting sun still casts light upon the sky. Willow trees sway in the wind on the bank of the shining Taedong River. Streets in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, are wide and clean. Here and there, people sweep the streets in slow motion. If someone painted a picture of the city, the best color would be gray.

Occasional power cuts bring the streetcars, the major transportation of the city, to a halt. Citizens here seem to understand well enough the hardships they face. No one complains or throws a tantrum. Even during rush hour, passengers nap in the streetcars or squat outside, enjoying the gentle breezes. Instead of the busy, tense atmosphere a big city should have, Pyongyang seems to be static.

The 105-story Ryugyong Hotel stands far off in the light mist. The landmark's indistinct shape is like the impression North Korea has made on the world: mysterious and inscrutable.

Away from downtown Pyongyang, we saw endless green fields unobstructed by any mountains. On closer inspection, I found in the vast expanse of green some rice seedlings that had withered and yellowed due to the sterile soil.

Produce more rice

The magnolia flower, the national flower of North Korea, is claimed to represent the innocence and fortitude of the Korean people. However, their innocence and fortitude are harshly challenged now.

According to surveys by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program in June 1999, every person in North Korea received an average of seven hundred grams of grain every day before natural disasters began in 1994. Years of floods and droughts resulted in a rapid decline in the grain harvest. By late 1997 the ration had been reduced to 300 grams, and then to 100 grams by March 1998.

Since 1995, the United Nations and many international humanitarian organizations have supplied North Korea with food, seedlings, fuel and agricultural technology in the hope of easing the distress of natural disaster and starvation. According to UN statistics, North Korea accepted over seven hundred thousand tons of food annually from 1996 to 1998. However, the supply could only alleviate the famine rather than restore the production capacity to the level it was at before the catastrophes.

North Korea is a mountainous country. The total arable area is no more than one-fifth of its territory. Agricultural development is limited by the cold climate and short farming season with only one harvest per year. Furthermore, due to its poor economic condition, the country cannot afford the production or importation of chemical fertilizer and insecticides. For these reasons, agricultural restoration is slow.

Years of natural disasters have resulted in a rapid decline in farm production. In order to earn more foreign currency and increase farming area, inhabitants cut down innumerable trees and overexploited mountain areas. As a result, the whole ecological environment has been ruined. Any heavy rain causes flooding.

Hsieh Ching-kui, a member of the Tzu Chi fact-finding team, said, "Besides powdered milk and rice, chemical fertilizer is most urgently needed in North Korea."

"Our farmers are diligent enough," said Chin Cheng-chi, vice chairman of the North Korean International Trade Development Council. "As long as they have fertilizer, they can do the plowing and sowing themselves. June is the crucial time for rice seedlings to grow. With chemical fertilizer, we can produce much more rice and gradually solve the food shortage."

Tzu Chi decided to provide North Korean farmers with twenty thousand tons of chemical fertilizer, enough to enrich the soil three times between March and July.

Worn tires on muddy roads

On June 9, Vice Chairman Chin arranged for us to visit a large orphanage.

This was the "empty time" before the harvest. Even a large government-operated orphanage like this one cannot obtain rice until after the harvest in October, several months away. As a result, there was little nourishing food except for small potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with corn porridge, buns and noodles. There was no sugar, powdered milk or cooking oil in the kitchen.

We had thought these skinny children were merely three or four years old, but in fact they were about seven years old. Children are the hope for the future of North Korea and they are listed at the top of the ration system. If even the children in this large orphanage get such insufficient food, how much less do children in remote areas get?

The government and people have certainly thought of ways to cope with their embarrassing situation. Lacking fuel, farmers replaced broken-down machines with more manpower or animals. The government also encouraged people to raise ruminant animals like sheep instead of pigs, which consume more feed.

At the Tzu Chi relief distribution site, we saw a truck moving slowly forward, belching smoke from a steel container in back. Because of the extreme shortage of fuel, farmers refitted the vehicle to burn charcoal in the steel container for steam to move the truck. It took nearly one hundred kilograms [220 lb] of wood for the truck to go as far as sixty kilometers [37 mi] and the highest speed the vehicle could reach was seventy kilometers [43 mi] per hour. We were amazed at the ingenuity of these farmers and really admired their zeal.

Almost all the tires we saw were worn smooth. Sometimes the inner tubes could be seen through holes in the outer tires, and cracked tires were mended with rubber patches. Loaded with tons of chemical fertilizer, the trucks sped off on the rough, muddy road.

Contribution to harmony

"When I looked at farmers spraying the fertilizer they'd just received, I seemed to see the love of Tzu Chi being sprayed on every inch of the field and in the heart of every hard-working farmer," said Wu Fu-chuan, a Tzu Chi member who went on the second distribution mission in mid-June.

Tzu Chi sent a relief team of twenty-five members to North Korea for the second distribution. In order to create a more pleasant atmosphere at the distribution, held at a local farm, the team members performed two songs, "I Wish" and "Thank You All," in Korean to wish the farmers an excellent harvest this year.

Soon after, the farmers started to unload sacks of chemical fertilizer. Disregarding our white uniform pants, we also helped them unload. On seeing our stained white pants and dirty hands, the farmers kept waving their hands to indicate that they could finish the job themselves.

Perhaps it was because I pulled something the wrong way or because I seldom do heavy labor, my back became very sore and I wanted to take a break. But when I touched the rough, black hands of the farmers, an indescribable vitality made me forget my pain and exhaustion and carry more sacks.

In the sunshine I caught a glimpse of my partner, a young Korean farmer who was drenched in sweat. He saw that my posture was wrong, so he came to me quietly and gestured to show me an easier way to lift and carry the bags of fertilizer. That considerate motion crossed the language barrier and enabled a thorough understanding between us.

"Kamsa humnida (thank you)!" When we completed the distribution at the second farm, all the Tzu Chi members lined up, took off our caps, and bowed to thank the farmers for working so hard to receive the fertilizer. Our sudden action made the farmers, who had been sitting and resting, stand up at once and bow in return: "Kamsa humnida!"

When we were leaving the last distribution site, some farmers waved goodbye to us with tears in their eyes. Even though our languages and cultural backgrounds were different, sincere gratitude and respect could diminish the visible and invisible barriers between us.

When Vice Chairman Chin came to visit Master Cheng Yen in Taiwan in April 1999, he remarked that he was deeply impressed with what Tzu Chi had done. Seeing the example of the Tzu Chi members, he has learned to show respect to others. He said he hoped he could treat his subordinates with more respect.

All that passed between the farmers and the Tzu Chi team members may seem trivial, but it contributed powerfully to human harmony. I finally understood that the Tzu Chi principle of directness was established not only to make sure that relief goods would reach disaster victims directly, but also in the hope of spreading love in people's hearts, whether local officials, citizens or the Tzu Chi team members themselves.

Packaged with warmth

"How is it possible that you still come to help us when our missiles have flown over your houses?" Chen Chin-fa remembered that three years ago, when he went to mainland China on a disaster relief mission, the Chinese government was launching missiles near Taiwan and creating tremendous tension between both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Flood victims on the mainland felt it incredible that the only goal of Tzu Chi's assistance was to help them and distribute relief goods to them personally.

Tzu Chi members would say things like "Sorry for making you wait!" when they held the rough hands of the victims and gave them relief goods. It was their sincere attitude that finally made the North Korean government allow twenty-five Tzu Chi members to go in person to disaster areas. This was, of course, unprecedented.

From 1997, when Tzu Chi first sent representatives to North Korea to survey the famine, until mid-June 1999, the foundation sent five shipments of relief goods such as chemical fertilizer, milk powder and winter clothes. This was the first time that the government allowed Tzu Chi members to make the donations personally.

Other international relief organizations may only hold a simple contribution ceremony at the dock. But in January 1998, Tzu Chi delivered eleven containers of clean, tidy, well-packed clothes. Tzu Chi's mindful and respectful attitude impressed many North Korean officials.

Chin Chen-chi, vice chairman of the North Korean International Trade Development Council, was responsible for keeping in touch with Tzu Chi. After communicating with Tzu Chi several times and visiting its headquarters in Hualien, he got a better understanding of the foundation's goal of helping others. As soon as he got back to North Korea, he reported to the government and asked to allow Tzu Chi members to go in person to distribute relief goods. His request was quickly granted.