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Beijing Review Exclusive
Special> Aftermath of the Quake> Beijing Review Exclusive
UPDATED: June 28, 2008 NO. 27 JUL. 3, 2008
Bent But Not Broken
People in the earthquake zone face a daunting task to return their lives to something like normality, but remain positive in spite of it
By FENG JIANHUA
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Early May is a harvest season in Sichuan. Officials of the Sichuan Provincial Government stressed many times that the government would help farmers to harvest and plant crops during earthquake relief.

After returning home, farmers have been collecting wood and bricks from the earthquake debris for future reconstruction. In Jiufeng Village, Pengzhou City, that borders Wenchuan, the county where the earthquake epicenter was, most major buildings collapsed or were seriously damaged. Mi Xingrong, a community head, organized local residents to build over 20 houses with wood panels from the debris. When the government delivered tents they gave them away to neighboring villages.

"We stay at the camp in the evening and harvest our grain in the daytime," said Zhang Desheng, a farmer of Beichuan, one of the worst hit counties. The earthquake killed Zhang's father and destroyed his home. Zhang joined the first batch of farmers to return home to his village, where he was quick to begin harvesting.

In Tongji Town, Pengzhou City, the earthquake destroyed 95 percent of housing. Since the settlements provided by the government could not accommodate all the victims, many residents built temporary shelters with material from the debris. "We should learn to help ourselves rather than rely on the government for everything," said Huang Xingguo, a resident of Tongji Town.

In order to help farmers resume production, the government of Shifang City invested over 2.8 million yuan ($400,000) to rent over 500 tractors to harvest 3,300 hectares of wheat for households that had suffered severe earthquake losses.

Farmers in the earthquake zone have also helped each other, forming teams to plant and harvest. The principle of these teams is that families with more laborers help families with fewer laborers; families with less loss help families with more loss.

The Sichuan Provincial Government has required the six worst hit cities to specify crop-planting tasks for every town, village and household. Farmers in the worst hit regions will be given free seeds.

Government branches in Gansu Province, which was also affected by the earthquake, have assigned people to supervise the supply of seeds and fertilizer to the earthquake zone and mobilized the military to help earthquake victims to harvest and plant crops. Efforts have also been made to help enterprises affected by the earthquake to resume normal production.

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