NEW PLANS FOR FUTURE

Locals select special purchases for the imminent Spring Festival at Liangshui County of Longnan City, a quake-hit city of northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 23, 2009. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    In Leigu Town, Beichuan county, also a hard hit area, 69 ethnic Qiang families have moved to their new houses, mostly two- or three-storey buildings, before the Spring Festival.

    Qiang is an ethnic minority group which mainly lives in Sichuan. Many distinctive houses or buildings such as ancient watch towers were also damaged and some senior Qiang scholars died in the quake.

    To better preserve and promote Qiang culture, the county decided to rebuild the Jina community area in accordance with Qiang traditions.

    Jiang Chunhong, an ethnic Qiang, said she moved to her new two-storey house in the hillside Jina community in Maoershi Village, at the end of last month. Her original house collapsed in the quake, but none of her six family members were hurt.

    The house cost her 100,000 yuan with a government subsidy of 20,000 yuan. Like another 68 new houses of similar structure, it was built with the help of troops and government.

    "Our community will develop the tourism industry and this offers a good opportunity," said the 26-year-old wife dressed in traditional ethnic costume. She has a four-year-old daughter.

    Before the quake, Jiang and her husband worked in a TV production company in Mianyang. Currently, she runs a small grocery using one of the ground floor rooms, selling food and other daily necessities.

    "If tourism becomes hot here, it will be easy for us to return the loans borrowed from banks for house construction," said Song Guobin, whose new house is several meters away from Jiang's.

    Song's 16-year-old son, Song Lei, died in the quake after his classroom in the Beichuan Middle School collapsed. The 40-year-oldfather now does not like to mention his dead son as he seems to try to forget the pain.

    The government and an insurance company offered him about 80,000 yuan in compensation or comfort fund after his son's death, he said. The government also paid 15 years of pension insurance for him.

    "We cannot rely on the government all our life," he said. "We should rely on our own hands."

    Song now works as a carpenter in his community, earning about 1,000 yuan a month. He said he plans to open a restaurant when tourism starts.

    Earlier this month, Beichuan Jina Community Tourism Development Company was established. Tourism will be a major income source for residents here.