Quake survivors to celebrate Festival in new homes
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A ceremony with a bonfire and firecrackers was held Tuesday night in the new seat of a quake-leveled county in southwest China's Sichuan Province, prior to the Chinese Lunar New Year on Thursday.
The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is the most important Chinese holiday. It is a time for family reunions, gift giving and fireworks.
It will be even merrier for the survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, who just moved into their new homes in the new town.
The earthquake survivors are preparing for the first Spring Festival in their new homes.
Xia Tianfeng of Beichuan County, Mianyang City, is sticking red paper decorations onto the windows of her new house for good luck in the New Year.
"We finally have our new house. Why wouldn't I be happy?" asked Xia.
She and her family lived in a makeshift house for two years before moving into their new house one month ago.
Dong Depa, 43, and his family moved into their new house in Yingxiu Town, the epicenter of the quake, five days ago.
"I can pay off the debt incurred to build the house in two years," said Dong, who spent only 30,000 yuan (4,541 U.S. dollars) for the house's construction and decoration, with the rest being shouldered by the government.
Dong lost his two children in the quake but he and his wife have since had another child, a son.
"Last year, we spent the Spring Festival in the dormitory of the brick factory where I work as a cook. Now we can finally enjoy the festival in our own home," said Dong, unable to conceal his joy.
Xia told Xinhua the ceremony for the new county seat was the real taste for a happy new year.
Reconstruction has finished in the quake-hit zones in Sichuan, with most survivors now in their new houses.
In Beichuan County alone, 96.5 percent of the survivors already have their new house.
The new county seat is located in Yongchang Town, about 23 kilometers from the quake-leveled old one.
The 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck southwest China on May 12, 2008, leaving about 80,000 people dead or missing.
Waving goodbye to their temporary barracks, 7,397 households have been allocated new apartments, among which 3,504 households were former Beichuan residents, while others were from different Wenchuan earthquake-hits regions.
"The new apartment has already been simply decorated by the time I received the door key. With our new furniture, we can wait no longer to move into the home," said 45-year-old Xie Xinghe, a former resident of Beichuan.
Including 50,000 yuan (about 7,575 U.S. dollars) in loans, Xie paid a preferential price of 79,600 yuan (about 12,000 U.S dollars) for the 100 square meter new apartment.
Losing his only son in the earthquake, Xie and his wife adopted a one-year-old boy.
"It is the child who brings me new hope for the future," Xie said. Following the Lunar New Year celebration in his new home, Xie will try his best to work for some years to pay back the loan and save money to ensure a better education for his son.
"It is such magic to build a new town within three years, even so anywhere around the world. And we see it now," said Xu Zhenxi, director with the headquarter of new town program of Beichuan, which is supported by east China's Shandong Province.
From May 25, 2009 to September 25, 2010, Shandong Province supported the new Beichuan county seat project, which was completed within 15 months.
