Villagers see bright side of quake

Source: Xinhua | 01-23-2009 10:24

When Zhou Baohua, a migrant worker in Shanghai, left for her village in Sichuan a month ago she was worried about where she would stay. The 51-year-old's house was razed to the ground in the May 12 earthquake.

But when she reached Maoershi, her village, Zhou was pleasantly surprised.

She was taken to Leigu town in Beichuan county, three hours' drive from the provincial capital of Chengdu, where a two-story building - her new home - awaited her.

Zhou is not the only one. The government has provided brand new houses in Leigu, the province's first model spot for countryside resettlement, for almost 300 other villagers, who lost their homes in the quake.

Nearly all 300 villagers, who belong to the Qiang ethnic group, have been given two-storey houses, ranging between 90 sq m and 180 sq m, depending on the number of family members.

Zhou couldn't have asked for more. "I am extremely happy the government did this for us. I now have such a nice and comfortable home," said Zhou standing in front of her new 150-sq-m house.

According to the secretary of village committee Zhang Anqing, the resettlement project started in July.