The rebuilt Yingxiu town has become a tourist destination, where many residents earn livings from tourism. HUANG YIMING / CHINA DAILY

"I have become more open-minded over the last five years," Tan says.

Before the quake, he was taciturn. But he says that is no longer the case, as he has had to talk to many people to get the new school up and running.

Though the gray-haired principal aims to help students and teachers shake off their traumas, this is no easy task. There are the quake-themed tourist sites surrounding the school, and an exhibition of the old school and quake relics just a few steps away from the new school’s gates.

Meanwhile, the monthly escape drill also reminds students and teachers of their painful past. So does the curriculum. In grade 3, for example, there are two classes every week focusing on such content.

With a total investment of 300 million yuan ($49 million) from Guangdong province, Tan says the new school, built 1 kilometer away from the site of the old school, is strong and safe.

"But we try to show students how to value life and protect themselves," he says standing in front of the words "Every life is brilliant" carved on the front of the main building.

The school is equipped with advanced facilities. This has forced him to adjust to the new teaching surroundings and new technologies. "We don't need to use chalk or traditional blackboards. All the teaching is computerized and electronic," Tan says, admitting this that has been a challenge for the teachers.

Tan says parents are now showing a different attitude toward their children's academic achievements. In the past, every time he met the parents, they would ask him to be strict with their kids.

"Now they ask me to be more flexible," he says.