Northeast China's Liaoning Province is stepping up efforts to rebuild homes affected by summer floods in Chaoyang City and Huludao City, aiming to secure the local residents a warm winter.
As the winter is approaching, local authorities pledged to finish housing reconstruction in rural areas by the end of October.
In Maohezi Village of Chaoyang City, villager Wu Xiujun is about to move into her new home. Her house has finished structural construction, and workers are busy on interior finishing.
"I am so happy to live in the new house. I'm filled with joy," said Wu.
In Zhujiagou Village of Huludao City, the reconstruction of the whole village is about to finish, with over 340 workers working around the clock.
"The new houses are taking shape day after day. The construction has been quick with good quality. We villagers are all satisfied and delighted," said Wang Nan, a local villager.
Yangzhudixia Village of Huludao City, where villagers are relocated from the disaster this summer, is seeing insulation installed for 55 newly built brick houses. Villagers expect to move in by the end of October.
"The project schedule is scientifically arranged, and every process is designated with two persons in charge, one for supervision and coordination, and the other is responsible for technical disclosure. In this way, we can guarantee the quality of our project," introduced Xie Hui, deputy manager of Communications Construction and Municipal Administration Cooperation under the Communications Construction Group of Huludao City.
As of Saturday, Liaoning has completed rebuilding nearly 90 percent of the 16,651 houses damaged by natural disasters.
Liaoning speeds up reconstruction work to house flood-afflicted people
With dramyin lute and cymbals in hand and dressed in colorful traditional costume, 17-year-old Tenzin Norbu is among the proud youngsters in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region who have been helping preserve the centuries-old Tibetan opera, a multifaceted representative of Tibetan art and cultural heritage. Considered a living fossil of Tibetan culture, Tibetan opera is a comprehensive art combining folk songs, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance. It was included on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Tenzin grew up listening to Tibetan opera along with his grandmother. The beat of the drum marked the rhythm of his childhood and quietly planted the seed of a dream.
The teenager leads a youth Tibetan opera troupe and guides his peers onto the very stage they once only dreamed of. He named it "Phudor Youth Tibetan Opera Troupe", because "Phudor" means "dream" in the Tibetan language.
"There are about 24 members in the troupe," said the teenager.
Tenzin once received a very special invitation to perform Tibetan opera for the opening ceremony of an art festival in Lhasa.
Although both their parents and teachers felt it's important for the children to be exposed to traditional culture from a young age, they didn't want it to affect their schoolwork.
The performance they were getting ready for was the first Sweet Tea House Art Festival, the troupe's very first public appearance. It's a rare opportunity for the children -- one too precious for them to pass up. But with their parents growing anxious about preparation for the performance eating into valuable study time, the children opted to rehearse in secret at weekends. Tenzin's family runs a tailor's shop. His father, who is hearing- and speech-impaired, is a superb tailor, while his mother helps him out by dealing with customers. Tenzin enjoyed Tibetan opera with his grandmother during childhood and later learned more about it from his uncle.
"Whenever I'm not feeling good, I'll take out the dramyin lute and the cymbals. When I hear the drumbeat, I get a feeling of elation that's simply indescribable," he said.
When Tenzin finally stepped onto the stage at the festival, he noticed that his parents were not in the audience. "My parents didn't have time to come to see my performance. But they always support me. They work hard every day, also for my sake. So, I'm happy whether they were here or not as long as I can keep performing Tibetan opera," said the youngster, believing that his passion for Tibetan opera will last a lifetime.
Childhood dream takes local boy onto Tibetan opera stage
