By Wei Yiping

Yingxiu Town, the epicenter of the Wenchuan Earthquake, is coming back to life again after a year of recovery.

In contrast to Mount Qingcheng and Hongkou County, Yingxiu is a small town with no tourist trade, on national highway No. 213. Previously small restaurants and shops were Yingxiu's main economic activity. However, the devastating earthquake affected the entire town.

Yuzixi Village in Yingxiu Town as it is today [Cai Xiaochuan / San Lian Life Weekly]

Go to Yingxiu was a quake-related report published in San Lian Life Weekly last year. The title often reminds us of 10 days of 11-hour treks through the mountains with falling rocks dogging our every step. Today we revisited Yingxiu by car along the route they once traveled on foot, where signs left by the quake remain fresh even after a year.

The Friendship Tunnel - more than a kilometer long - is the longest tunnel we go through from Dujiangyan to Yingxiu. I remember clearly, as I staggered through the same tunnel last year, the unease I felt in its darkness, and the relief at the sight of blue sky at the end. Today these feeling come back to me once more. In the dim light of headlamps, we find a sign reading "Boundary of Wenchuan County", indicating arrival at the epicenter of the 5.12 Earthquake.

Here we are at the middle of a journey starting from Dujiangyan, leaving behind Yutang Town, Ma'anshan Tunnel, Qingyungou Bridge and Baishuixi Bridge, while still having Qianjingou Bridge, Shoujiang Bridge, Baiyunding Tunnel, Xuankou Town and Aba Aluminum Plant ahead until we finally reach Yingxiu Town.

The quake-battered bridge - often shown on TV - is Baihua Bridge, the last bridge before entering Yingxiu Town. The bridge was broken into several pieces by the quake, forming the last obstacle on the journey to Yingxiu last year. Now the remains of the old bridge have been knocked down and a new bridge is under construction. As moving on, we see a sign at the roadside reading "Niumiangou Seismic Origin." Local villagers tell us the epicenter of 5.12 Earthquake lies just 10 kilometers away up the valley. However, the valley has been broadened and flattened by the crush of the earth's crust, reminding us of the tremendous seismic power of the quake.