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FROM THE FIELD

Progress as homes are rebuilt in Sichuan
12 May 2009 14:29:00 GMT
 Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland
By Francis Markus, IFRC, in Deyang, Sichuan

Website: Website: http://www.ifrc.org

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He Xiande and his wife, Zhu Qinyong, are part of 90 families that have moved into new homes across the valley from their old village that were devastated by the Sichuan earthquake on 12 May 2008.
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He Xiande and his wife, Zhu Qinyong, are part of 90 families that have moved into new homes across the valley from their old village that were devastated by the Sichuan earthquake on 12 May 2008.
By Francis Markus

Background

•  China earthquake 2008

•  Earthquakes

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You don't need an expert on the Chinese art of Feng Shui - which is all about where and how to position buildings in harmony with nature - to tell you that Yuejia village occupies a superb location in Southwest China.

From his new house a little way down the village, He Xiande has a commanding view across fields that in the spring are bright yellow with flowers of the oil-bearing rapeseed plant.

Feeling safe

But more important than location and view, He Xiande enjoys a sense of security in his home. "We don't feel as though the house is shaking every time there's an aftershock. We feel much safer," he says.

He Xiande and his wife, Zhu Qinyong, are part of 90 families that have moved into new homes across the valley from their old village that were devastated by the Sichuan earthquake on 12 May 2008.

These new homes were built with assistance from the Red Cross Society (RCSC) and the government. They are among nearly 70,000 families that will have their homes rebuilt with assistance from the RCSC and the international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Back to work

He Xiande and his wife make a living from fish farming, but they now have plans to diversify into growing vegetables in greenhouses. They say many families are returning back home from other provinces where they had gone to work as migrant labourers. "Only about three families are still working outside Sichuan. All those who returned have found jobs," he says.

The landscape in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi are gradually transforming, but they will not be carbon copies of what they were before the quake. The Red Cross Red Crescent is providing a solid basis for people's lives to move forward.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Topics

•  Earthquakes

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Participants hold a Chinese national flag and shout slogans to cheer for Sichuan after three minutes of mourning for Sichuan earthquake victims at Tiananmen Square in Beijing May 12, 2009. Mourners ...


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Last updated:Tue May 12 14:35:50 2009