Life returning to normal in Chengdu

CHENGDU: Loud music, dim lighting, exquisitely dressed men and women, and a dance floor packed with writhing bodies - surely, this disco in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, looks quite different from how it, and the rest of the city, appeared in the days following the May 12 earthquake.

However, the DJ would still grab every opportunity between sets to seize the microphone and issue a plea in the thick drawl of his local dialect: "Friends, our club is a building with a solid frame and structure, which withstood the tests of earthquakes and aftershocks. So if another aftershock shakes the building, don't panic; just keep dancing."

A month after the disaster, the city, which is known for its laid-back demeanor and slow pace of life, is struggling to reclaim its pre-quake prosperity and tempo. The metropolis' residents, known for being self-centered, slack and almost hedonistically indulgent in life's pleasures, are now licking their wounds - and doing so in their own way.