After the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12, Beichuan County was left in ruins. Nearly all the buildings in the downtown area had collapsed or were seriously damaged.

The county lost two-thirds of its population and the street became lined with broken slabs of concrete and jagged shards of glass. The original site of the downtown area of Beichuan County is no longer suitable for rebuilding.

While in Beichuan, Premier Wen Jiabao suggested that after the quake, a museum be erected.

The government also decided not to rebuild the town, but instead to turn the area into an earthquake museum to commemorate the disaster, show the strength of human love and, most importantly, man's new understanding of the wrath of nature.

The dead are dead, but we hope the living can live better lives. The central government vows that a new Beichuan will be born.