Several hundred meters ahead a huge stone, fallen from the adjacent mountain, stands by the roadside like a knife stabbed into the earth. Characters carved in the stone read "Yingxiu, epicenter of 5.12 Earthquake." Next to it are two simple maps which hint at Yingxiu's future - Earthquake Tourism. Yang, a resident of Yuzixi Village who set up a stall by the stone, tells us that he is now selling souvenirs for a living since the earthquake tourism plan has yet to be implemented. As he speaks, tourists rush out of several minibuses parked nearby to take photos of the huge stone. Wang and his wife look at them with empty eyes.

We met Zhang Yufang again in Yingxiu, an old woman whose story we reported last year after the quake. She was lucky to escape injury. [Cai Xiaochuan /San Lian Life Weekly]

When we finally reach Yingxiu, we find the small town very much altered from last year, which comes as little surprise. Most of the ruins have been bulldozed, apart from the buildings of Xuankou Middle School which stand out among the temporary houses. In contrast to Beichuan, another quake-hit county, Yingxiu has chosen to rebuild from scratch rather than relocating. The sad calm that has followed the grief is hard to bear. People tell me how their hearts were broken as they witnessed the ruins in which their families were buried disappearing under the wheels of roaring bulldozers.

The rebuilding of Yingxiu has gone slower than other towns. The housing requirements of the residents have not yet been estimated and the rebuilding plan has yet to be finalized after several revisions. The newly built Aba Earthquake Exhibition Center is still not open to visitors, and people living in temporary houses are still waiting.

However, life carries on. The small town is gradually reviving under the impetus of the vitality of individuals and families. When we finally find Liang Bengui, owner of the former Dazu Ironmongery on whom we reported last year, the 34-year-old man bursts into tears. Now he has opened a new ironmonger's shop under the same name.

Liang's shop was named after his hometown Dazu County of Chongqing. After travelling over much of the country working for other people, Liang finally settled in Yingxiu in 1995, and opened an ironmonger's shop the following year. Business boomed as a result of the construction of several hydropower stations and other buildings in the locality. Dazu Ironmongery had become the biggest ironmonger's shop in the town, with a turnover of 2,000 (US$293) to 3,000 yuan per day and a total stock worth 300,000 to 400, 000 yuan, when the earthquake struck.

Following the quake, almost all the goods from Liang's shop were expropriated by the local authorities for rescue work. "People were thinking only of their families. I let them take whatever they need," said Liang. "Anyone lucky enough to survive the disaster would not care about the money involved." Last October, Liang was given a temporary house by the local government in return for his expropriated goods. It felt like a new start to his life when he purchased the first batch of goods from Chengdu with 20,000 yuan borrowed from his relatives.