Quake-stricken Qiang Community Back to Normal

I made my first visit to Luobozhai, a village of the Qiang ethnic minority near Wenchuan, the epicenter of the 2008 earthquake, in a mid March snowstorm in 2009. Cloaked in glaring white and thick in deadly silence, the region with the romantic nickname “village above clouds” (for its altitude of 1,950 meters above sea level) remained in a complete shambles from the disaster a year before. In makeshift shanties, its people coped with the inconveniences of a make-do daily life while grappling at every moment with a persistent and instinctive mourning for the loss of their loved ones and ancestral homes.

Amid this crushing distress, however, gleamed signs of hope. On the slope behind the destroyed village the aid team from Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, were racing against time to rebuild the community. Buildings were going up with the assistance of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, designed and constructed to best restore the cultural identity of the local ethnic community. And the work was supervised and financed by the central and local governments.

The brisk progress on the site was inspiring courage and confidence among the villagers, many of whom had been stripped of almost everything in the quake. One of the persons I talked to was the village committee’s accountant Wang Guorong. The massive tremors wrecked all his properties, including an orchard of 56 cherry trees that were soon to be harvested. When I stepped into his dimly lighted plank shelter, the 49-year-old man was preparing dinner. Besides a handful items of furniture that he had pulled out of the ruins of his house, the only possessions he had were an electric cooking pot and a used, donated computer. Amid the irritating smoke from his coal-fueled stove Wang told me his three dreams: “Have a new home, make more money and learn how to use the computer.”

When I returned to Luobozhai this January, Wang Guorong greeted me at his two-story home built in distinct Qiang style. With a total floorage of more than 100 square meters, the new building has eight bedrooms, two sitting rooms and an independent kitchen and bathroom, good enough for a family of five. “I moved in last October; everything here is so nice,” the man said with delight, beaming. The standard for new homes in the village is a bungalow of 52 square meters per household. Its price is RMB 60,000, for which each family can receive a subsidy of RMB 20,000 from the government, RMB 10,000 in aid from Guangdong Province, RMB 10,000 from donations by overseas Chinese, and they can then apply for a low-interest bank loan of RMB 20,000. This means they don’t have to reach into their own pockets to purchase their new homes. For those with the means to raise money from other sources, they can order two-story homes. Wang paid an extra RMB 20,000 or so for his second floor.

The Wangs’ new home has a stately façade, and is just as impressiveinside. The major sitting room was lined with a fluffy sofa set, a big-screen TV, DVD player and a brand-new hi-fi system. Discerning the surprise on my face, the host explained: “Last year my cherry and pricklyash peel crops fetched in RMB 6,000, my wife earned RMB 6,000 from her work on the construction site, and my two daughters working in the cities sent home RMB 2,000. Our cash income last year doubled that of 2008.” During our chat the washing machine he ordered arrived. Amid the cheerful bustle of instructing the deliverymen to bring it inside and set it up, Wang told me he paid RMB 799 for this model which usually has a tag price of RMB 918. “The rest is subsidized by the government thanks to the policy promoting electric home appliances in the countryside.”

All three of Wang’s children were at home for the upcoming Spring Festival. His second daughter had her wedding not long ago. And his son of 16just enrolled in the vocational school in neighboring Dayi County to study computer technology after completing his studies in an aid program in Jiangmen, Guangdong. In Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture where Luobozhai is located, the state mandated a nine-year free education and then extended it by three years, meaning the family don’t have to set aside money for the boy’s schooling.

“Though the losses inflicted by the disaster were grim, our life today is better than any time before, thanks to the help of the Party and the government,” exclaimed Wang. “I will do all I can to make a better living for my family.” This vow resonates with every family in the area. Restoration of the old Qiang village kicked off in March, and is scheduled for completion in three years. Tourism and characteristic agriculture are the two anticipated revenue drivers for the community in the future. Though barely recovered from the devastation of the 2008 earthquake, the people in Luobozhai were eager to share their limited and hard-earned resources with other people in need. When the news of the Haitian earthquake reached the community of 900-odd residents, a donation campaign was organized, raising RMB 14,000. Wang Guorong gave RMB 200. “I was a quake victim myself, and wouldn’t be where I am now without the assistance of the state and international aid,” he said. “I understand how life must be for Haitian people now, and I am offering whatever help is in my power to offer.”

Taking my leave, I recalled the three dreams he has been cherishing for a year. Obviously the first two C move into a new home and make more money C have been realized, but how about that last one C learn to use computer? Wang shyly replied that his computer was damagedin the chaos of moving to the new home. But he resumed lessons recently with the help of a neighbor versed in their use. He promised he would show me books he kept on his desktop the next time I come to the village.