Wenchuan 10 Years On: Survivors move on even as scars remain

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02:42

It's been ten years since the devastating 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. Even though the scars remain, survivors choose to move on.

My name is Shen Qin. I'm a tour guide at Yingxiu Xuankou Middle School memorial site.

The town has been rebuilt, but this site has been kept. 55 people lost their lives in this school in the earthquake. There are nearly 100 guides here like me. We're all local people who have experienced the earthquake. We tell tourists stories from our hearts.

Ten years ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to have lived. We rushed home from work to check on our baby daughter and my husband's parents. We didn't care about the aftershocks.

I knew as a saw our house I've lost them. The entire first floor sunk underground. But humans are stubborn that way. I dug and dug. I shouted their names. I checked the dead and I checked the living. I never found them.

On the third day, we had to evacuate for disease prevention.

My husband and I knelt down in front of what used to be our home, and kowtowed three times before we set out.

It's been ten years. But every time I guide a tour, the memories flood back. Yes, I still feel grief, but I also feel I'm keeping the memories alive of those who fell victim to the disaster.

I tell the visitors what I've come to learn - that It's important to cherish the moment. At every tours end, I tell my group to leave their grief behind. As soon as they step out of the site, life continues, and we must live it hard.