Yingxiu’s rebirth after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake
By Globaltimes.cn, Published: 2018-05-06 15:03:53
Two visitors look at the remains of Xuankou Middle School in Yingxiu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on May 5. The town was the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Now it has been rebuilt, and Xuankou Middle School, located at the heart of the town, has become a public memorial and earthquake museum. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Editor's Note:
Yingxiu was the epicenter of the Wenchuan earthquake in SW China’s Sichuan Province. The town was devastated: a total 6,566 people died, more than half of the total population. More than 70 percent of all roads were damaged and almost all houses destroyed. The town has since been rebuilt, with a few of the remaining ruins turned into memorials and earthquake museum. Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the quake, A Global Times reporter visited the town to chronicle the destruction and rebirth in remembrance of those who died – and honor those who helped rebuild it.

Pictured are the remains of Xuankou Middle School. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
A visitor lays flowers at a memorial in remembrance of the 2008 earthquake. The memorial includes a sculpture of a clock face showing the precise time when the earthquake struck. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
A visitor explains how the buildings collapsed during the Wenchuan earthquake. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Student awards cover what was once the wall of a destroyed home now on display at the Earthquake Museum in Yingxiu. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Pictured is a flower at the memorial cemetery in Yingxiu. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Pictured are students on the way home in Yingxiu. The flower field is part of the memorial cemetery for victims of the Wenchuan earthquake. Rebuilt Yingxiu is visible in the background. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
A vendor waits to sell trinkets to tourists on May 5. Tourism to Yingxiu has developed since the disaster as people from around the world come to pay their respects to the quake victims. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Two visitors pass the remains of Xuankou Middle School on May 5. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)