Premier Wen Jiabao has returned to Sichuan Province to oversee relief work. On Friday morning, he visited Mianyang and Deyang.
Premier Wen visited victims being treated at the Number 404 Hospital in Mianyang. Wen Jiabao praised the courage of three-year-old Lang Zheng, the son of a rescue soldier in Beichuan. Lang Zheng's father has been working tirelessly in Beichuan and has had no time to visit his son.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao listens to Lang Zheng, a boy injured in last week's 8.0-magnitude earthquake, at NO. 404 hospital in Mianyang, the quake-hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 23, 2008.(Xinhua Photo)
Premier Wen spoke to medical workers and told them to take good care of their patients, stressing again that saving lives is the top priority.
Wen Jiabao continued his inspection, with visits to see how students are coping in temporary classrooms built for Beichuan Middle School, and classrooms made of tents for Jiuzhou school. Both schools have already resumed classes.
In Beichuan Middle School, Premier Wen wrote a Chinese phrase on the blackboard, "hardship makes a country stronger".
In Beichuan Middle School, Premier Wen wrote a Chinese phrase on the blackboard, "hardship makes a country stronger".
Premier Wen said, "We should bear it in mind. In the future we will build a new Beichuan Middle School. I believe that after the disaster you will study harder and as the education continues, our nation will have more hope."
Premier Wen also encouraged students in Jiuzhou school. He said that their diligence would console the dead, and repay the kindness of the people.
Premier Wen Jiabao went to Pengzhou in the afternoon to oversee relief work in the city. He said he was happy to hear that the victims in Tongji county have received enough relief materials from the local government. He also stressed the importance of disease prevention.
The premier also visited many victims in their tents and asked about their living conditions. He said the quake-hit areas are in urgent need of tents, and manufacturers around the country are speeding up their production. He also told the victims that, with their country's support, they shall overcome their difficulties soon.
When the Premier arrived in the region on Thursday afternoon, he conducted a fly-over inspection of a "barrier lake," formed by landslides blocking rivers.
Those lakes are dangerous, as the water level of some barrier lakes has risen, threatening vast areas.
Wen ordered rescue workers to eliminate the danger of these barrier lakes through engineering, while swiftly evacuating people in danger.
Premier Wen said, "We held three-day mourning for the quake victims. This demonstrates that the whole nation is bearing the victims in mind. We should convert sorrow into strength to build a new hometown and this is the best consolation for dead relatives."
According to a preliminary plan, Beichuan, the worst-hit county in the earthquake, will be rebuilt on a new site.
(CCTV May 26, 2008)