Aid from Shandong Province is helping reconstruction efforts in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, the region most seriously damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Great progress has been made.

The new residential buildings are under construction.

Tongkou officials boast of their town's new hospital. It now has 30 beds and 24 health care professionals for the town's 7,500 residents. New medical equipment has enabled the hospital to provide operations, such as appendectomies and caesareans.

"The new health center is able to fully meet the requirements of Tongkou," said Long Guangbi, Party chief of the hospital. "The current medical equipments in our center have already performed at or above the level of health centers in other counties."

Health care professionals from Linyi City, Shandong, trained the hospital's doctors and nurses with the "latest knowledge," said Liu Shunqing, Tongkou's director.

Residents are also satisfied with their new houses, which are being rebuilt with aid from Shandong. Guo Jiangying said she didn't have to worry about spending 260,000 yuan (US$38,074) on her new three-story house because of the help she received.

Mu Furong, a Tongkou official, said almost 90 percent of Tongkou residents will be able to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival in their new houses.

"One of my New Year wishes is that rebuilding work will be completed as quickly as possible so we can embrace our new life in 2010," Mu said.