People from Sichuan Restore Lives on Debris

Anchor: One year after the earthquake, shook southwestern China, reconstruction is still going on, in Sichuan Province.

Some survivors, have already resumed their normal lives.

For the rest, local authorities say, they are trying to restore daily routine, through better building arrangements, and respect to local traditions.

Chen Xi has the details.

For Xian Tianquan, life is getting easier. He lost his beloved wife during the devastating earthquake last year, but now with the support of local government he has reopened his plum garden.

It will not only bring him substantial economic returns, but help to restore his confidence in pursuing a better life as well.

"The name of my plum garden comes from both my family name and my deceased wife's family name. And the plums here are popular with visitors too."

Xian's little garden normally brought him 60,000 Yuan or almost 10,000 US dollars every year before the natural disaster.

Now with newly-decorated courtyards attracting more travelers, his monthly income already surpassed 20,000 Yuan.

In Penghua village of Mianyang city where Xian Tianquan lives, many of his countrymen have restarted their businesses with specially-designed residency and markets under the support of local authorities.

In Sichuan Province alone, over 3 and half million rural houses need to be rebuilt after the earthquake.

The huge project is also a priority on the government's agenda.

Liu Jie, a senior local official from reconstruction committee in Sichuan, says a new outlook will emerge from the debris.

"The reconstruction work is not as simple as re-allocation, which must follow the rules of science, history and nature. It also complies with the industrial and economic development in rural areas in Sichuan."

According to the official, funds and investment have been properly monitored and used in the post-quake construction.

A large area of pilot farmland will start to produce crops and fruit with one and half million Yuan investment in three years' period.

In Beichuan, villages of Qiang ethnic groups will be completed by next May for the local tourism industry.

Authorities say that in the epicenter of Wenchuan county, residential buildings of Tibetan styles are in the embryo period, which are welcomed by the locals.

Official figures show that a total of over 50 billion Yuan, or nearly 9 billion US dollars, governmental investment will be allocated in Sichuan, helping survivors build permanent housing.

Chen Xi, CRI News.