Financial aid will cut Shifang rebuild time by 17 years

Financial support from Beijing will help rebuild the quake-hit city of Shifang, Sichuan province, within three years, rather than 20, as initially forecast, a local official said yesterday.

Duan Keqing, a spokesperson for the Shifang development and reform commission told China Daily that Beijing has pledged 3.89 billion yuan ($570 million) in aid from now until next June.

"We forecast it would take 20 years to rebuild our hometown, but with Beijing's help, we can do it in three," he said.