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ten years ago, precious lives were lost in a sudd, unprprecedented disasaster. the great sichaun earthquake of 2008eft 87,000 people dead or missing. our camera crew experienced the devastating damage and deep grief of survivors firststhand whenen we visited the site some months afterer the quake.

may 12th was the 10th anniversary of earthquake. and the chinese government has named the day thanksgsgiving da. the government wants to call the attention of its citizens to the efforts it has made to offer aid and rebuild over the years. beijing has invested the equivalent of around $250 billion in recovery efforts. according to government figures, sicha sichaun's gdp has tripled from prequake levels.

as society b begins to forget t tragedy, how are survivors really coping? in this episode of "asia insight," we revisit the survivors we interviewed 10 years ago and catch up with their stories. mao ershi village in sichaun province is home to many people of the chong tribe, a tibetan ethnic minority. about 90% of the homes in this village were destroyed in the quake 10 years ago. in the past, most villages were farmers. but based on the government's reconstruction policy, the village would become a tourist attraction thanks to its ethnic background.

to create a sense of uniformity, even homes that were damaged in the quake were torn down and rebuilt, against the wishes of the residents. >> wong, head of the village, was caught up in a dispute between the local government and residents who were upset at the susudden unilateral tourism pla government and residents who were upset at the sudden unilateral touourism plan.

the government, offering to cover construction costs, eventually won the villagers over, and a picturesque village was completed in around six months. the government followed up with a grand media blitz to advertise the local ethnic culture. how is the village faring 10 years earlier? wang takes us to a restauaurant. although it's a sunday, it is completely empty.

for two or three years after the quake, the village bustled with tourists. now only a few visit on weekends and holidays. many locals closed up shop and were forced to find work outside of the village. even so, one inn stayed in business. but declining custom is not the only problem. the owner, zhu yuhua, is dissatisfied with the condition of the building.

this region gets a lot of rain, and leaking roofs are a major headache for locals. they have no choice but to b bud new sloped roofs, which is changing the distinct landscape of the village. this is a big problem for wang, who talked the locals into agree to the tourism plan 10 years ago.

zhu is from the han tribe.

however, she has learned traditional qiang stitching in a bid to attract tourists. wang has been the village head for 15 years now. and he hopes to attract tourists back by setting up leisure facilities.

10 years ago, the village's two schools were completely destroyed. we first met liu wenjiang when she was studying in a temporary school building. she was a ninth grader at the time. the quake hit at 2:28 p.m. 159 j junior h high students lo their lives. buried under rubble, liu suffered severe head trauma. she was unconscious and in critical condition when she was rescued. when she awoke, she was giviven some devastating news.

her life had been thrown into disarray. she wrote down her feelings in a journal. now liu works at an i.t. firm in central changdu, around 120 kilometers away. she's a top sales rep, and witi

her fluent english, works in the overseas market department. but liu will finish work here in a week's time. she has decided to attend graduate school and hopes to become a teacher. her colleagues have organized a farewell party for her.

liu hasn't told many people about her experiences during the earthquake, and tries to put on a brave face in front of others. shshe refused financicial aid f the government, and over the last 1 10 years has maintained e stance of not wanting to be pitied for what she went through. ever since the quake, liu has been receiving regular treatment for the aftereffects of her

accident, as well as psychological counseling. today liu tells us something she couldn't talk about 10 yes, therere is ago.

although she tries not to blame herself, liu can't escape her guilt.

10 years ago, we interviewed a woman who lost both her home and her grandson.

it is the child's father, chen

yanhong, who is calling. ten years ago, he couldn't be with his son when he died because he was working in tibet. a decade later, chen and his family have left the inconvenience of village life and live in an apartment in the city.

chen remarried seven years ago, becaususe he wanted to be a fatr again. his wife, zhou qin, lost her only child in the earthquake as well. after marrying, chen bought this apartment with his savings and began living here with his new family. today they're hosting a family dinner.

the main industry in this region was mining. but the mines were destroyed in the quake. now that the reconstruction work is over, there is little work to be found here. a tunnel under construction on the outskirts of. which hengdiu. at 9:00 a.m., we run into chen with his fellow work mates on their way back from their early morning shift. this is where construction workers spend the night.

the work is very dangerous. it involves setting off gunpowder within the tunnel to blow up rocks in the sweltering 35-degree celsius heat. the noise of the drilling can sometimes cause harm to the workers' hearing. on his break, chen thinks of his daughter.

on the anniversary of his son's

dead, chen took some pictures close to the construction site as a message for his son.

chen's daughter starts elementary school next year. toto pay for his daugughter's future, chen must continue working away from home.

10 years after the sichaun earthquake, survivors still struggle with their grief. even so, they continue to take a new step forward every day on the long road to recovery.

>> this is dw news, live from berlin. as the w world turns, , dubai is ringing in the new year. helena: celebrations have just begun at the world's tallest tower. the burj khalifa had out -- a vast light show and fireworks display. dw is tracking elections in

congo.