Villagers see bright side of quake

The money for the houses came from government subsidies and bank loans while some of it was self-raised, he said.

Based on the degree of poverty, each family was given subsidies between 16,000 (US$2,400) and 26,000 yuan, and they could take bank loans to a limit of 50,000 yuan.

The newly settled village in Leigu has immersed in the New Year spirit. Red lanterns and antithetical couplets are everywhere. The villagers managed to gather bunches of corn and hung them up on walls, wishing for good luck.

Zhou is satisfied with her two-bedroom house. But the only electrical appliance she has in it is a refrigerator, which her husband Lin Yuping salvaged from their collapsed home. Zhou and Lin said they will prepare homemade cured meat, a traditional dish, for the guests during the festival.

Lin said he had to slaughter a pig he rescued from the ruins of the quake to make the cured meat. "Even now, I still feel guilty about it," the 57-year-old said.

"I hope more tourists visit our village, so I can find a job here. I don't want to leave this beautiful house and go back to Shanghai to work," Zhou said.

Editor:Liu Anqi