According to the construction plan, the new Shuimo Town will function as a resort for tourism, education, special agriculture and living. The newly-established blocks with special ethnic and cultural features attracted nearly 10,000 domestic and overseas visitors during the Chinese Lunar New Year in February 2011, creating a great tourism boom in the region. The new environment also drew two universities to establish campuses there. Some 10,000 university faculty and students became new residents of the town, creating more job opportunities for local denizens.

"Restoration in the affected areas should not merely reconstruct buildings, but give priority to the protection of the ecological environment and ethnic culture to create a sustainable way of development," said Liu.

"Bestowing local governments more rights to handle allocated funds for local needs marks a special change in the post-disaster reconstruction," said Qin. As an aid official, Qin was dispatched to Jiange County in Sichuan in 2008 after the earthquake. Having served as executive deputy county head there for two years, he has seen the change in action.