Zhang Jianfu has never spent a night with nine family members in a crowded tent, but he now has to do so for a least a week.

Zhang and 3,000 other fellow villagers have just moved to Baosheng Road shelter in Qingyi county, near the Fujiang River, which flows into the Tangjiashan quake-lake in Mianyang.

Staff at the Tangjiashan headquarters said except for a few monitors, about 620 soldiers and engineers have all left the quake lake area. By 5 pm yesterday, the water surface at the top of the dam was about 5 m. Experts said the water may affect some villages in the coming days.

Villagers line up to get their dinners at the Baosheng Road shelter in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Zhang and other family members brought mattresses, wooden boards and even sofa sets from their home and squeezed them all into the tent.

The 63-year-old man had even prepared a dozen boiled-eggs for his family before the massive evacuation.

"The tent is much noisier at night than in the daytime," the retired worker said.

"One of my sons-in-law snores, and another one talks in his sleep. The situation is tough, but it's only temporary."

Zhang has experienced four earthquakes in his lifetime, but last month's quake was the strongest one. His family's chicken farm was entirely destroyed.

However, Zhang does not waste time thinking about his loss.

"We are lucky, no one was injured. We will rebuild our farm as soon as we can," he said.