Feature: Restless recovery on post-quake Sichuan

"We don't have cash in the pocket for a change of life, so it's better to stay at home and do nothing as it saves money."

Women face much greater disadvantages. During the day, Chen Mingfang goes to the nearby construction site to do odd jobs like mixing cement or carrying bricks, but even such basic labor is not readily available. "I often move around different places," Chen says, wiping her brow in the kitchen shared by 10 families.

Meanwhile, the re-location of Donggfang Turbine from the Hanwang town of Mianzhu to Deyang City is viewed as a deadly blow, as many small businesses surrounding the large factory had relied on it for revenues. Export-oriented companies like Shengda Clothing and Lonmon Chemicals have been hard hit by the financial crisis.

If jobs are the first priority, then second is housing. "A stable house drives home a sense of security, doesn't it?" says Liu Daishu.

For the moment, the 40,000 inhabitants on Liu's community have no clear idea where their permanent homes will be, as the town plan is yet to be drawn up.

The government of Mianzhu has agreed to provide a 16,000- yuan subsidy to each family, but that is far from enough to build a house, says Liu.

The cost of construction materials is a worry. Bricks have risen from 0.6 yuan to 1.4 yuan in price. Calculated this way, the cost of building a house has reached 820 yuan per square meter, estimates Liu Daishu, "which is unaffordable to most of us".