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Picking up the threads all over again

By Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-25 08:10

New solutions

The road to Beichuan, an autonomous county of the Qiang minority, was totally ruined by the quake. Along the route one can spot the innumerable construction sites flanked by resettlement communities.

The debris piled up along the route is a grim reminder of the quake.

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The town has since been abandoned but attracts flocks of visitors keen on taking one final glance at their destroyed homes. Since last October, 18-year old Qiu Minqiong has joined a team of locals selling souvenirs, photos and books on the quake and the city.

"Business is not bad and our family can eke out a living this way," said Qiu, whose parents are still living in the temporary shelter in the high mountain miles away from Beichuan.

Near the new location of the Beichuan Township, a new community for the Qiang minority has been set up. The 58-year old Jiang Jiufa and her family are one of the 71 members of the "model community". Jiang had never thought of earning a living by opening a shop. His parents died when he was a kid and he has worked his way up by doing tooling jobs in various provinces.

With visitors thronging to see his community, Jiang has opened two grocery shops and a small souvenir shop enabling him to earn at least 500 yuan.

"I never dreamt of being a shopkeeper," said Jiang, whose two daughters also work in the shops. "As a Chinese saying goes, out of the depth of misfortune comes bliss, isn't it?"

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