Building a road to revival

YUSHU, Qinghai - The roads being reconstructed by workers like Hu Yongtao in the Yushu quake zone are, in turn, the roads to reconstruction in the disaster area. More importantly, they are also the pathways to better development than existed in Qinghai province before the temblor.

By working 6 am to 10:30 pm a day for nine months a year, braving -25 C winters and enduring altitude sickness on the remote Tibetan Plateau, Hu and his colleagues are creating an improved transportation system.

To reach Qumulai, residents in the nearest county used to require a three-hour bone-pounding ride over pitted earthen tracks.