Displaced by quake, Kirgiz settle into new homes

The earthy sound of the komuz, an ancient, three-stringed instrument of the Chinese Kirgiz ethnic group, reverberated in the home of Huhxitarbek Ismail in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on a recent morning as he swayed to the melody and hummed along with his friends.

Gathering together and singing epics narrating historic warriors' bravery and paeans to beautiful sceneries of the vast region is a staple festivity for Kirgiz people.

But this year's celebrations for the upcoming Spring Festival on Wednesday will be a little different for Huhxitarbek, who lives in Aksu's Wushi county. He will be spending the holiday in a new neighborhood built for residents affected by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the area about a year ago.

The quake didn't kill anyone in the county, but it injured a few people and damaged or toppled a number of houses. For displaced villagers, local governments assisted them in rebuilding old dwellings or offered to move them into new residences.

Huhxitarbek was among 150 residents from 41 households in a Kirgiz township who moved into a brand-new residential complex spanning 4.53 hectares around July.

Liu Li, Party chief of the township, said that each apartment is either 60 or 80 square meters in size and priced at around 100,000 yuan ($13,700). Residents paid 15 percent of the total out-of-pocket cost, and the remainder was covered by the local government.

Tursunay Turahun said her parents paid about 18,000 yuan for the new house that now accommodates her family of five.

"The temblor last year cracked the wall of my old house, rendering it unstable. While we were temporarily settled in tents at a local middle school after the quake, I was anxious about how to carry on with our lives," the 25-year-old said.

The new home has assuaged her anxiety and exceeded her expectations.

"It comes with a restroom and a kitchen and is much brighter than our old house," she said. "We plan to invite my parents' brothers and sisters here to celebrate Spring Festival together."

The complex is also equipped with a child care center and a day care facility for the elderly.

Dawut Yusuyin, 75, now spends the bulk of his days at the day care center, chatting and playing card games with other elderly residents.

"Before, there were no such recreational rooms for us to hang out," he said.

The center offers three free meals daily for seniors age 80 and above, and those age 60 to 80 pay only 6 yuan for each meal.

"Life here is simply more convenient," he added.

According to the county government, each household received an additional subsidy of about 50,000 yuan to build grape trellises and other supporting facilities in their courtyards.

As part of efforts to add local job opportunities and further improve convenience, the neighborhood has also set up over 15 streetside storefronts, it said.

wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn