Primary school students take a Chinese class in a tent in Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last month. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY Construction teams rush to finish new, safer dwellings for displaced residents before temperatures plunge Although it is the middle of summer, Baygenmu Hanjar is already being awakened by the cold at least once a night as the temperature begins to fall on the Pamir Plateau in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Baygenmu, 68, has been living in a disaster relief tent since her house in the village of Waerxidie collapsed on May 11 during a magnitude-5.5 earthquake that rocked Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county in Kashar prefecture, the home of people from the Tajik ethnic group. The temblor struck at 5:58 am, when most people were asleep. Eight people died and 31 were injured, according to the local government. More than 4,750 houses were destroyed, and about 80 percent of the county's population of more than 33,000 has been affected. About 800 livestock perished, and the county government estimates that the direct economic loss amounts to 800 million yuan ($118 million). Last year, the county, officially designated as poverty-stricken, generated GDP of just 670 million yuan. Winter will come soon on the Pamir Plateau. It has already started snowing in the mountainous areas, Baygenmu said as she leaned on the wooden door frame of her old house in Waerxidie, near Tashkurgan, the county seat. The door frame is the only visible sign of the stone-and-mud house that took the family years to build. Even the low stone wall that is traditional around Tajik dwellings has disappeared. At a June 6 meeting to discuss reconstruction projects for Tashkurgan, the Xinjiang government pledged to build new, earthquake-resistant houses for all the families that lost their homes, and to ensure that they can move in by the end of August, before the harshest cold starts to arrive. Sitting at an altitude of 3,090 meters, Tashkurgan, close to China's borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is also known as the town of stones. Large and small stones are scattered across the nearby Gobi Desert and buried in the grassland. The locals have been using the stones, which they believe can actually grow, to build houses for thousands of years. The county landmark is the remains of a Puli Kingdom fortress, initially built with the stones during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220). The ruins, which stand on a small hill, escaped damage in the earthquake. Baygenmu's tent is situated in a temporary settlement for Waerxidie residents, established the day after the quake. Although no one from the village was badly injured, 14 families lost their homes and are now living in the tent village. It's one of 12 such sites across Tashkurgan, all equipped with kitchens and medical centers. Baygenmu said that it was lucky her family was staying away from home when the quake struck: Thankfully, I spent the night at a relative's house not far away. The house shook so badly that I was very frightened. However, there wasn't a single crack in the walls because it's one of those earthquake-resistant houses. bat fidget spinnercustom wristbands no minimumcheap silicone wristbands ukwellies and wristbands 2017rubber bracelets custom cheapflash drive wristbandwristbands online
A notice released by the general office of the State Council on Monday said that 122 officials, including 16 at department-director level and 58 county-level officials, were called to account for substandard cables in a subway project in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province. Among them were the city's Executive Vice-Mayor Lyu Jian, while another 17 have been filed for investigation. The notice said local leaders and supervisors engaged in the case received disciplinary or criminal punishments or were fired. Tang Hongbo, former deputy director of the office of Xi'an Subway Construction Headquarters, was dismissed from the Party and the government. His case involving suspected crimes has been transferred to the judiciary departments. From Aug 2014 to the end of last year, inferior cables manufactured by Shaanxi Aokai Cable Co were purchased for Xi'an Subway Line 3 posed potential security threats, according to a joint investigation led by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The investigation defined the case as one involving producing and selling shoddy goods, as well as collusion between the company and local officials. The case, first exposed by internet users in March, was confirmed by the city's metro company. Earlier this month, the Shaanxi provincial government was ordered to submit a reflective, written self-criticism to the State Council and invalidate the company's authentication certificates, trademarks and licenses.
