Inside the disaster zone

Editor's note: Chen Wuyi, vice-president of Chengdu Hydropower Investigation, Design and Research Institute, and a deputy to the National People's Congress, spent an entire year in the Sichuan earthquake zone helping with the disaster relief efforts.

The earthquake caused huge psychological trauma to those who lost family members. Many people's lives were changed dramatically, especially those in families who lost their main breadwinner.

The shock was even greater for those pulled out of the rubble and it may take years for them to fully recover from the nightmare.