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Nation
Print Edition> Nation
UPDATED: August 22, 2011 NO. 34 AUGUST 25, 2011
A Town Is Reborn
A year after being buried by a deadly mudslide, Zhugqu has risen again
By YUAN YUAN
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REST IN PEACE: A boy places a flower on the memorial of victims of the mudslide that hit Zhugqu on August 8, 2010 (NIE JIANJIANG)

On August 6, a micro-blogger using the name Kayne posted, "It will be the first anniversary of the Zhugqu mudslide. Deep grief for the victims in this disaster."

Kayne's real name is Wang Kai, a student at Chongqing University of Technology. He was in Zhugqu County, Gansu Province, his hometown, on August 8, 2010. At midnight that day, the densely populated county with 50,000 people was devastated when an avalanche of mud roared down the slopes of a mountain following days of heavy rain.

As the collapsed mountain closed all the roads to the county, no journalists were able to reach the area. Wang, who posted information and pictures of the mudslide with his cellphone, became the principal source of news from Zhugqu.

On August 8, thousands of people stood in silence at the disaster's memorial, a wall bearing the names of all victims. Minister of Civil Affairs Minister Li Liguo was present at the ceremony and expressed condolences to the victims and paid his compliments to the soldiers and people engaged in relief and reconstruction efforts.

Wang said on his micro-blog on August 8, "Reports on the anniversary of the mudslide dragged me back to the same day last year. I almost burst into tears quite a few times."

Staying strong

Yang Huili, a 23-year-old Zhugqu resident, lost eight family members including her parents in the mudslide. Her family home was washed away. Yang now lives with her 18-year-old brother.

On August 8, 2010, Yang got the news of the disaster while she worked as an intern in a foreign trade company in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

"I never thought this would happen. The first month after the disaster was the toughest. It happened all of a sudden and we could do nothing except keep searching for the bodies of my parents," Yang said.

The tragedy has made Yang self-reliant. "We cannot change what has already happened. We must stay strong and look ahead," she said. "We used to be taken care of by my parents. Now I have to learn to look after my brother and myself."

Yang works hard to support the family. "I hope my brother will be admitted to the Fourth Military Medical University. That's where my mother wanted me to go. I will try my best to earn more money for him."

Li Jiuming, who lives in a village near Zhugqu, lost his wife and two children during the mudslide. "I was so sad I wanted to give up on life," Li said. "I couldn't accept what has happened. For the first six months, I just spent whole days sleeping to keep the sorrow at bay, until one day I realized my wife and children definitely wouldn't want to see me like that."

Li then bought a motorized tricycle and began to make a living by using it to deliver goods. While making deliveries to a local restaurant, he met his present wife, Xue Haiwei.

Xue lost her sister and two nephews in the disaster. As she and Li suffered similarly, they gradually became friend and helped each other recover from the trauma of the mudslide. In June, they got married.

"Now we want to have a baby, even through adoption," Li said. "It will help us truly rebuild our life."

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