Some refugees on move — a month after China quake

MIANYANG, China — As China marked Thursday's one-month anniversary of its deadly earthquake, some weary survivors were once again on the move, setting up tents and shelters on city sidewalks away from a threatened flood.

Soldiers in Mianyang, the largest urban area directly under threat from the Tangjiashan quake-formed lake, helped survivors move their belongings yet again while vehicles drove by loaded with plastic stools and bottled water.

Cutting through the city, the Fu River was running high and fast, and life remained far from normal. Many residents continue to sleep outdoors because of damaged homes or fear of aftershocks from the May 12 disaster that jolted Sichuan province and neighboring regions. Many businesses were closed, some with sandbags stacked at their entrances.

Although they remained homeless, residents said conditions near their former dwellings were far superior to those in the hastily erected camps in the hills where some had been living for almost two weeks because of flood fears.

"Life wasn't so good up there. When it rained, the water didn't drain and sometimes it reached up to our ankles," said street sweeper Zhao Shuping, 46, who sought shelter on higher ground on June 2.

Authorities had evacuated 250,000 people near the lake, which formed when landslides blocked a river above the destroyed town of Beichuan. It was the largest of 30 lakes created by the quake.

In Beijing, China showcased its massive aid effort, with soldiers, medical workers and politicians gathering in the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday to hear emotional testimonials about its success.

The nationally televised event featured heroes from the quake — a teacher from devastated Beichuan, a volunteer nurse from southern Guangdong, a military commander who led troops on a 31-hour march to reach the epicenter.

Organized by the Communist Party's propaganda department, it underscored the government's emphasis on positive coverage amid a long and daunting recovery effort. Nearly 70,000 people died in the disaster, with another 17,000 missing after the 7.9-magnitude quake.

In the first days after the quake, China's typically harsh media restrictions were relaxed, allowing both domestic and foreign reporters unusual freedom in covering the disaster. But in recent weeks, the government has begun rolling back liberties as hard questions have continued about corruption and shoddy construction of schools.