New year, new beginnings for quake survivors

Source: China Daily | 02-03-2009 08:52

BEIJING, Feb. 2 -- Spring couplets, firecrackers, sacrificial offerings to the dead, folk dances, new clothes, new haircuts, family reunions, New Year Eve feasts and the live Spring Festival Gala on China Central Television. It was business as usual during the recent Spring Festival in the areas devastated by the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Ming Mao, a 22-year-old Tibetan, even got married during the festival. "When the earthquake struck, I thought I wouldn't be able to get married as we had lost our homes," said Ming from his temporary shelter provided by the government. "But thanks to timely assistance from the government and from people across the country, we have never been homeless."

Ming's neighbor, 78-year-old Zhang Shu, said he had never felt alone these past months.

"Everyone is ready to help me," he said, adding that he had so many invitations for the traditional family feast on New Year Eve that he felt sorry to turn them down. In the end, a local official resolved his dilemma by inviting Zhang to his own home.

While the rebuilding is far from complete, with new houses still under construction and debris still to be cleared, the air is one of optimism and cheer.