介绍:
Sixty-one-year-old Li Defang never thought one day she would own a teahouse in a mountainous retreat place until the village in which she has spent her whole life was toppled by a major earthquake two years ago.
That earthquake took place in the city of Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province and killed nearly 200 people and injured some 15-thousand others across the region.
(sb1, Li Defang, Female Sichuan dialect)
"I am over 60. This, the big house, was never on my wish list. Of course, it is all thanks to the government and the great initiatives. There was no road here, so we had to carry everything on shoulders in the past. Building such a house was beyond anyone's wildest imagination."
Her home village, Snow Mountain, was a half-isolated remote place even though the town center is right on the other side of the mountain across a river. As its name indicates, the village is covered by snow in winter, cutting off most of its connections with the outside world.
(Female Sichuan dialect Zhang Zihui fade in) 村民张子慧
Zhang Zihui recalls once she carried her sick son in a willow basket all the way down the mountain to see a doctor. She says this kind of thing is a common experience among the villagers.
The earthquake two years ago made their lives even tougher since almost all the adults had gone outside the area for work, leaving the old and the young behind.
(Female Sichuan dialect Li Defang fade in) 李德芳讲地震时家里受损情况
Li Defang, now a teahouse hostess, still looks a little frightened describing what she saw that day when the houses made of bamboo sticks fell down like willow leaves.
An unexpected turn of events happened as their village was chosen from over a dozen other villages in the township to be regenerated into a retreat destination. That means their houses should be built in a way designed for a tourism spot.
Town official Tian Yuhua who is in charge of the reconstruction and regeneration project explains why they choose this village as a retreat destination.
(sb2, Tian Yuhua, male mandarin)
"Reconstruction is just part of our work. More importantly, we need to concern the industry growth and how to benefit the locals. We believe such a small, quiet village neighboring mountains and rivers will satisfy visitors who want to find somewhere free from worldly affairs. "
The villagers got subsidies and loans to rebuild their homes after the earthquake. Like any ordinary rural Chinese people, they want bigger houses with comfortable rooms, since the national standard for floor space is 30 square meters per person.
Tian Yuhua says at first people were not satisfied with the plan.
(sb3, Tian Yuhua, Male Mandarin)
"They did not agree with the design. So we gave them a trial run. They can move into one house and then decide. They told us they want to live exactly like a city dweller does. So we made some tweaks to the original plan."
That compromise made what the village looks like now. From the outside, a great view as a mountainous retreat; while inside, it has everything it should have which makes it also good for living and farming.
Chief of the village council Li De'an 李德安says changes are taking place in other aspects of the life here too.
(sb4, Li De'an, Male Sichuan dialect)
"The per capita income used to be just over 3-thousand yuan. I think after the regeneration project is finished and this place is open for business, this number won't be difficult to top 10-thousand. People here can totally see the changes."
Li Defang says she is not worried about the turnout of customers to her fresh new teahouse at all.
(sb5, Li Defang, Female Sichuan dialect)
"I am not worried. Not at all. It is easy. If there are costumers, I serve them. If not, it is fine by me. You know why? I have the house. That makes everything right."
Of course whether their business is a success or not will be tested over time, but at least the people who live in this village rebuilt from the ruins after an earthquake have a clear and solid vision of their future.
For Studio Plus, I'm Liu Xiangwei.
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