Mayor Han (far left) Briefed by General Contractor on Construction Progress.jpg

Mayor Han (centre) Tours Reconstruction Site with Delegation Members Including Chengdu Mayor Ge Honglin (to Han's right).JPG

Seismically stable wood-frame structures such as the Dujiangyan Xiang'e Primary School reconstruction project are energy efficient and environmentally friendly, said Shanghai's Mayor Zheng Han, while touring the reconstruction site of that school on February 9. The school was destroyed by the May 12 Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan China, and took the lives of many students and rescuers.

 

Following the earthquake, the Chinese central government assigned responsibility for reconstruction of quake-struck areas to many of China’s provinces. Shanghai, a special administrative city that is equivalent to a Chinese province, was appointed as the reconstruction partner of Dujiangyan, a city with more than two thousand years of civilized history and one of the hardest hit regions in the earthquake zone. Shanghai is responsible for over 50 reconstruction projects in the area.

 

February 9 was the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival commonly celebrated with family reunions and big feasts, and is also the concluding day of the 15-day Chinese New Year Festival. Mayor Han’s surprise visit to Dujiangyan on this day is a gesture to show his support for earthquake survivors. The Xiang’e Primary School site was one of a handful of milestone projects visited by Mayor Han on his tour.

 

The Xiang'e project is one of three phase one projects for the CDN $8 million earthquake reconstruction fund announced by the Governments of Canada and British Columbia (BC) in June 2008. The purpose of the fund is to use wood-frame structures to help rebuild areas in the Wenchuan earthquake zone. The other phase one projects include an elderly care centre and a special education school for the disabled in other hard-hit areas, the designs of which are currently underway. 

 

Han, who met with BC Premier Gordon Campbell in 2003 and 2006 to discuss how British Columbia wood products and Canadian wood construction technology could best be applied in China, is a long-time supporter of wood-frame technology. The friendly relationship between Shanghai and British Columbia and Shanghai's interest in using new seismically safe building technology for reconstruction projects provided the city with the confidence to use wood frame technology for Xiang'e.

 

We should always base our decisions on actual conditions to ensure quality and practicability, with emphasis on effectiveness, and sustainable development, said Mayor Han, while talking to site designers and builders about the structure, safety and facilities of the school.

 

FII China General Manager Mike Hogan Welcomes Mayor Han Zheng to the Dujiangyan Xiang'e Primary School Reconstruction Site.jpg