The frigid midwinter weather can’t stop the green plants dotting the roadside on the way to Beichuan. Determined to grow, they will burst into full blossom a few months later, the first flower here to welcome spring.

On May 12, 2008, wide stretches of rapeseed plants ripened on the same land, only to be thereafter disregarded. At 14:28:01, in an instant, the massive Wenchuan earthquake struck and forever altered the landscape, and tens of thousands of lives were lost.

The story of reconstruction in the quake-stricken areas is not only about hardship, sorrow and painful memories. It is also about hope. The people of Sichuan are inherently optimistic, they possess the courage to carry on, and the pace of recovery is testament to their determination and strength of will.

To observe and record this determined process and their courageous progress, on December 28, 2008, I again visited the quake-stricken areas.

Soon after arriving in Sichuan, I sensed in the people a determination to rebuild and change for the better. Improving their living conditions is their priority now, and these simple, hard-working Sichuanese complain very little about the hardships they endure and the challenges they overcome.

They are still not certain about their future, but they hold onto their dreams, and they know the sun will rise tomorrow.

Yingxiu,Wenchuan

The quake brought the name of Yingxiu to be known to nearly every household in China. At the epicenter, Yingxiu suffered a great loss in the disaster. Yingxiu Boulevard, the main highway in town, stands between the ruins of the local Xuankou Middle School and newly-constructed prefabricated houses, like a sharp line between past and present. Painful memories are on one side, great hopes on the other.

	Although the New Year is pending, there is little festive atmosphere on the streets of Yingxiu. In their temporary dwellings, elders relax with cigarettes, women are busy with household chores, and children are at play. Besides those employing themselves in reconstruction, local young men are seldom seen, for they have either gone to the cities for better-paying jobs, or they were killed by the quake.
	The quake destroyed the entire stretch of highway between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan. Thanks to non-stop effort, a new highway parallel to the old was put into use. Daily necessities and construction materials are transported to the quake-stricken areas via this new road.
	Purchasing meats for the Chinese Lunar New Year. The temporary farmer’s market set up by the town government supplies abundant commodities. Vegetables, meats, dry goods, and daily necessities are trucked in from larger cities like Chengdu and Dujiangyan, and these are sufficient to meet the local demand.
	The quake brought the name of Yingxiu to be known to nearly every household in China.

Beichuan

On January 2, 2009, when I visited Beichuan again, the place most damaged by the Wenchuan Earthquake, the entire county was sealed off. Only those with special passes were allowed to enter. Even the locals can only gaze at their hometown from atop the surrounding hills.

	January 3, 2009: A wedding will take place in a prefabricated house near the ruins of Beichuan Middle School. Both the bride, Li Guo, and the groom, Li Yanlin, are locals. They met and fell in love in Beichuan. Thus, they chose to hold their wedding on this land. The bride is a medical worker in Qushan Township Hospital, Beichuan. In the aftermath of the Wenchuan quake, she was struck hard on the head by falling rubble while rescuing the injured. In critical condition, she was transferred to a larger hospital in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province. Li Yanlin stayed with her throughout her treatment and recovery. After Li Guo recovered, to continue to participate in quake relief work, the couple postponed their wedding, which was previously set for October 2008.
	Featuring gorgeous patterns and exquisite craftsmanship, Qiang embroidery is a traditional Beichuan handicraft. Now, the time-honored art is a new source of income for the villagers.
	Passed down by generations of the Qiang ethnic group, Qiang embroidery, singing, and dancing have been a part of life here for more than 5,000 years. After the quake, the Qiang people in Shengli Village, Beichuan, make full use of their distinctive culture to run training classes and a Qiang embroidery factory. Xi Chengyou, secretary of the village party committee, registered the Yuqiang Culture Company with startup capital of 30,000 yuan. Every village resident shares in the registered capital and will receive a dividend at the end of the year. “The purpose of doing our embroidery business, on the one hand, is to open the market. On the other hand, we want to carry forward and promote our culture,” says Xi Chengyou. At his own expense, he employed two tutors to teach villagers Qiang language, singing and dancing.

Shifang

	January 5, 2009: An incomplete group photo of a class at Yinghua School. They are the survivors of what was a class of 45 students.
	Classes go on in a prefabricated classroom.
	January 4, 2009: Shifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both his mother and Li Gang, a grade-one senior high student from Hongbai Middle School, suffered multiple fractures in the quake. They were transferred to several hospitals in succession. Finally, in the same ward of the Shifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, they received their final surgery; the removal of steel needles holding together healing bones. In a few days, they will completely recover and return home.
	January 4, 2009: Shifang Arhat Temple. Tang Xinying, a girl born in the temple on May 18, 2008, visits her birthplace with her parents. Her mother, Li Juan, tells this reporter that their six-month-old daughter is very healthy now. In consideration of the temple’s compassionate assistance during the quake, the entire family came to offer their sincere thanks to the abbot and monks. From May 12 to the end of July 2008, 108 babies were born at Shifang Arhat Temple, among whom 88 were born in meditation chambers. Abbot Suquan personally named 17 of those newborns.

Mianzhu

The Wenchuan Earthquake also struck hard in Mianzhu, near Beichuan and Wenchuan, where the death toll exceeded 10,000. Since 80 percent of township and village streets and houses were destroyed, more than 100,000 people now live in prefabricated houses. Near the county seat, there are several prefabricated communities. Each community accommodates 50,000 to 100,000 people.

The community near the No.2 Flyover was assembled on a vegetable field. Now, a picture of vitality unfolds. Among patches of green vegetables, people are reading in the library and children are at play. Every morning, in the rising sun, citizens practice tai chi or do exercises under the flyover. At dusk, in the light of the setting sun, violin music comes from prefabricated houses. Living in close proximity, the people bond closer together. Through the passage of time and with love, they will fully recover and move on.

	January 5, 2009: Penghua Village, Mianzhu. During the quake, all the houses of the village’s 69 families collapsed. Now, supported by government subsidies, villagers construct new homes. To add festive ambience, New Year’s pictures are painted on the wall.
	January 6, 2009: Deyang Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities. A nurse from Hong Kong renders physiotherapy treatment to a patient with a prostheses. By December 25, 2008, Sichuan completed physiotherapy programs for more than 6,000 people injured in the quake. Only 823 patients required amputations, accounting for 0.9 percent of the total hospitalized. Recovered, 5,302 people were discharged from hospitals, and 1,009 remain under medical care, according to the Sichuan Provincial Health Bureau.
	December 31, 2008: At Sichuan Zundao School, after 234 days of suspended classes, its bell again rang. The main teaching building and the medical building, constructed and donated by China Vanke Co., Ltd., among the first group of permanent public facilities donated by enterprises after the quake, are ready for use. The delivery ceremony was held at the school. The three-story main teaching building holds 36 classrooms and can accommodate more than 1,700 students. Adopting an advanced quake-proof technique, the building can withstand quakes up to 9.0 magnitude, and meets the highest standards of quake-resistance as defined by the Regularity of Architectural Design and Structural Design.