In 1976, there were no less than six earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6.5, including the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Tangshan, Hebei Province (唐山) on 28 July. For many ordinary Chinese, this last earthquake clearly indicated that important developments were about to take place. It more or less foretold that Mao Zedong would die less than two months later.

The second line reads "The heroic people of Tangshan rebuild their homes with earthquake relief" (英雄的唐山人民抗震救灾重建家园). Earthquake relief here is visualized by Hua Guofeng showing his concern.