Guo An, a farmer in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, got up at 4 am yesterday to pick cherries in his fields before walking for one hour and a half to the county seat, joining others in sending off people from Guangdong who had helped his county in post-quake reconstruction.
Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been honored by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) for its achievements in reconstruction since the magnitude-8.0 earthquake on May 12, 2008.
Thousands of people gathered in Beichuan, Sichuan province, on Thursday to mark the third anniversary of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the province on May 12, 2008.
Tens of thousands of people have come back to Beichuan county, one of the worst hit areas in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, to mourn for the dead as Thursday marks the third anniversary of the massive quake that left more than 80,000 dead or missing.
The 8.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Sichuan province on May 12, 2008 devastated the lives of many. Although the mental trauma inflicted by the disaster has not entirely healed, survivors have learned to move on and begin their journey to rediscover hope and happiness.
The pretty girl Chen Xingwen was born in a temporary delivery room of Meishan People's Hospital on May 12, 2008. As the first baby who was born at the hospital after the devastating Sichuan earthquake, Chen suddenly became a well-known "quake baby".
China Development Bank, one of the three policy banks in China, said on Wednesday that by the end of last month, it had issued 90.3 billion yuan ($13.89 billion) to rebuild areas hit by a devastating earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2008.
Three years after a devastating earthquake, the worst-hit areas in Sichuan and neighboring provinces, phoenix-like, have risen from the rubble.
Special: Sichuan - Three Years On
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hailed the progress of post-quake reconstruction efforts in southwestern Sichuan Province and expressed his belief that the people there have a "strong will" and a "bright future."
Baoshan has become the richest village in Sichuan province just three years after the deadly 2008 Wenchuan earthquake killed 56 villagers, and destroyed 14 hydropower stations and 608 houses.
China has restored most parts of a major giant panda reserve three years after it was seriously damaged by a devastating earthquake.
Survivors of the magnitude-8 earthquake that struck Wenchuan in Southwestern China in May 2008 offered empathy on Thursday to victims of the strong earthquake that hit Christchurch of New Zealand on February 22.