Floods in China take a toll on life, kill 171 people

Heavy rain and floods have claimed 171 lives in China’s 20 regions this year, according to the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, with the government warning of serious flooding in the Yellow River. More details:

True Pride

Civic duty
Chinese volunteers in the quake zone

The Sichuan earthquake, tragic as it was, has shown the world the compassionate face of Chinese nationalism. The human spirit underpins it and connects us all.   Read more

Recovery and Rebuilding after quake

Slide show of the recovery and rebuilding after quake

China Continues Recovery, Rebuilding Effort

by Rob Gifford  from NPR

All Things Considered, June 12, 2008 · One month ago, a 7.9 magnitude quake struck China’s Sichuan Province, killing at least 69,000 people. Some 18,000 are still missing. While there was praise for China’s initial response, now the longer, harder part of rebuilding is slowing: Long-term housing is needed, with 5 million people homeless.  Listen to the program

Secondary disasters force 50,000 out of China quake epicenter county

CHENGDU, 2008-06-16 15:50:49  — Up to 50,000 residents must move from highly-dangerous terrain in Wenchuan, epicenter of the May 12 earthquake, to shelters built on open and solid ground before June 30 to avoid secondary disasters such as aftershocks and landslides.   Read more

China quake death toll remains at 69,170

By Saturday, 4,622 state-owned enterprises and large-scale enterprises with annual revenue above 5 million yuan had resumed operation.   In addition, 53,289 km of roads had been destroyed, of which 52,111 km had been restored.   Read more

China earthquake photos

links for China earthquake photos

China’s quake-battered Sichuan reopens 13 cities to tourists

Quake-battered Sichuan Province reopened 13 cities and prefectures to tourists on Saturday in a move to revive its once-booming travel industry.   Read more

Ministry: Quake causes severe damage to cultural heritage items

2008-06-14 20:51:54 China

In the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu and Chongqing Municipality, 14 national-level intangible cultural heritage items were damaged, 15,009 precious items destroyed, and 27 museums and 17 folklore villages sustained severe damage, according to statistics released by the ministry. Read more

Beijing stages exhibit on quake-threatened Qiang culture

2008-06-14 15:31:44   China

The Qiang, who live mainly in northwestern Sichuan, are a very ancient ethnic group in China. The earliest documents mentioning them were inscribed bones or tortoise shells from the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC) in central China about 3,000 years ago.

An exhibit on the culture of the Qiang ethnic minority opened here on Saturday, part of the government’s drive to raise public awareness of the need to protect the minority culture, whose survival has been threatened by last month’s earthquake.   Read more