Olympic spirit helps revive Chinese town after disaster

YINGXIU, China — The streets here are alive with the sounds — rumbling backhoes, roaring jackhammers, clanging pickaxes — of a town being brought back from the dead.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that tore apart Sichuan province in May left the town of Yingxiu in near-silent ruin. Two months later, it is buzzing with activity as soldiers dig trenches for water pipes and temporary housing units rise practically overnight.

It is a remarkable turnaround from a disaster that left nearly 70,000 dead, another 18,000 missing and more than 5 million homeless. As with next month's Olympic Games, the Chinese government pumped money and manpower into earthquake recovery as a matter of national pride and unity.

Knowing their legitimacy rests partly on the ability to deliver in times of crisis, China mobilized legions troops and migrant workers and set up a $10 billion reconstruction fund.

Survivors throughout the region seem grateful and say they don't want their suffering to detract from the Olympics. Near Yingxiu, a red banner strung across a section of crumbled highway reads: "Go Olympics, Go Sichuan, Go Wenchuan.”