Quake reconstruction picking up pace

Source: China Daily | 05-13-2009 11:18

BEIJING, May 13 -- Quake survivor Dong Shengya, 12, knows what she wants to do when she grows up.

"I want to build homes for people. I want to make sure all of us here live in safe, beautiful houses," said the pupil of Yingxiu Primary School, which was devastated by last year's May 12 quake in Sichuan province.

Dong's dream of better homes got closer to reality Tuesday, when President Hu Jintao urged the authorities to complete reconstruction work in time.

Speaking at a ceremony in front of quake-hit Xuankou Middle School to mark the first anniversary of the disaster, Hu said priority "should be given to restoring basic living conditions and infrastructure and make sure people in quake-hit areas live in permanent homes as soon as possible".

The two schools are located in Yingxiu town of Wenchuan county, the epicenter of the 8.0-magnitude quake which left more than 87,000 dead or missing.

Hu, followed by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and about 400 other mourners including foreign dignitaries, healthcare workers, residents and volunteers, Tuesday expressed condolences to quake victims and to those who sacrificed their lives during relief efforts.

The president walked to an epitaph and led the group in placing a white chrysanthemum beneath the wall, accompanied by a bugle call to mark the mourning.