‘We Are Fine!’

By+Chen+Ran

Its been eight years since the moment that shook their lives. Cheng Piyi has started all over again in Chengdu， capital of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

From 5 a.m. to midday for six days a week， Cheng， 45， drives a food delivery truck for a company started by his brother-in-law. His wife， Huang Guiqiong， 44， works there as well.

Every other weekend， they cook， shop， relax with friends and head back to their hometown in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County， 120 km from Chengdu. They are like any other family， but there is a significant difference. They have a deep scar that time cannot heal. They are survivors of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County， Sichuan， on May 12， 2008， killing more than 80，000 people.

Devastation and recovery

When the shock occurred in the afternoon， their buildings foundation collapsed， violently throwing them from the third to the second floor. Cheng pulled Huang and their 4-month-old son from the wreckage. They then tried to find their 10-year-old daughter Huang Yilin in vain， as her school had been buried under the disintegrating hillside.

Although located some 140 km away from the epicenter in Wenchuan， Beichuan was the worst-hit area due to its geological features—it shares the same tectonic plate as the area that was the epicenter， and is surrounded by shale mountains. The whole county seat and five towns were devastated. On May 25， 2008， 13 days after the quake， the plan to relocate people from the county was approved by the Central Government.

After staying with relatives for three months， the Chengs and his mother-inlaw moved into the Yongxing Resettlement Residential Complex in nearby Mianyang City.

The N ational Post-D isaste r Reconstruction Planning panel conducted an on-site evaluation in more than 20 towns and 300 villages across the county from June to August. A flat plain adjacent to traffic networks was chosen as the new county seat， some 23 km southeast of the original one.

In February 2009， the Ministry of Civil Affairs approved newly added administrative regions for Beichuan. Then President Hu Jintao named the new town Yongchang， which in Chinese means“prosperity forever.”

In May 2009， one year after the disaster， Cheng told Beijing Review that he hoped to move from the resettlement site to the new town as soon as possible. His wish became true in 2011. The family participated in the lottery allocation for surviving families and moved into an apartment in the newly constructed Erma Residential Complex in Beichuan.

Erma in the Qiang language means“we.” The complex has over 6，000 apartments， designed specifically for survivors from the 2008 tragedy. The 106-squaremeter flat includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Their son Dorjee is now enrolled at a kindergarten a mere 10-minute walk away.

“We never thought of relocating at the time this tragedy struck，” Cheng said emotionally.

“I am looking for a job. Given a choice between living in the resettlement complex with a job or living in the new home unemployed， I prefer the latter，” Huang said. “The new town is still under construction. I think our life is getting better.”

A new start

In 2011， Chengs aunt recommended him for a job. Hes working there now.

“It was extremely tough at first because I had never been to Chengdu before， not to mention never having a job as a driver，”Cheng told Beijing Review.

He would wake up at 3 a.m. to follow colleagues on their delivery routes and jot down information. “I have to move on to make a better life for my family，” he said.

Huangs parents take care of Dorjee， now a grade-2 student. “We use live chat every day and I inspect his homework. He is a selfdisciplined kid，” she said proudly.

The Chengs visit their original home where they had lived in for decades to honor the memory of their daughter.

“I am satisfied with my life. Our situation is improving and we hope to pay off the mortgage as soon as possible so we can go to Beijing for a holiday. That was also on my daughters bucket list，” Cheng said.