Quake survivors enjoy Dragon Boat Festival
Updated: 2008-06-08 22:01
The injured transferred to other provinces for treatment also felt the warmth of the festival. "Many people bringing zongzi and other gifts came to the hospital to visit patients on the festival," said Bai Yan, a nurse at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, capital of northwestern Shaanxi Province.
But quake survivors are not only receiving.
"Villagers from Pengzhou (another heavily-hit city) came to our camp, bringing duck eggs and zongzi this morning to celebrate the festival with us," says Wang Huaijun, an officer with Jinan Military Area Command.
"They walked several kilometers to get here and set off fireworks for the celebration. It was really a big surprise," Wang says.
Chinese soldiers are under strict orders to accept no gifts from the public, but the villagers thought they had a duty to show their thanks.
"The soldiers have been building tents, repairing houses and clearing debris. We must force them to receive our gifts," says Gao Tiancheng, head of mountainous Bailu Town.
In previous years, Gao and his family got together for big dinners.
"But I cannot make it this year because of the quake has destroyed our hometown," he says. "We celebrate the festival by rebuilding houses on debris and planting rice seedlings in paddy fields."
The government plans to erect 1 million prefabricated houses in the next few months, and some survivors have already moved in to them.
In a prefabricated house in Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County, 2-month old Jiang Hao enjoys lichees flown in from Guangzhou City.
"The government is building schools and hospitals. When they're built, I will send him to school," his grandmother says.
But Yang Heying has left her tent on the festival for Chengdu. She plans to learn to cook so she can start a catering business in Yingxiu.
"The government is helping us, and I must help myself. I have to find a way to earn a living," she said.
"I love Yingxiu. One day I will come back," she said. "The festival is a new start for me."
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