Close-up: When Caiwang Kangxi moved from tent to board house

In the early morning, Caiwang Kangxi wrapped himself in cotton clothes and put the cow dung into the stove, causing sparks to rise. He raised his hand and opened the heavy curtain and stepped out of the tent. The cold wind outside was still biting.

Not far away, the morning light gradually spread over the ridge.

October 25 was the day after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Baqing, Tibet, that Caiwang Kangxi’s family moved out of their tent at the resettlement site and moved into a board house.

Caiwang Kangxi, 36, is from Zharugai Village, Maru Township. His hometown is one of the places hardest hit by the earthquake.

"I heard that we can move into the board house today. Our family is very happy." Walking into the tent where Caiwang Kangxi lives, the place is not big and there are not many things, but everything is a daily necessity: a folding bed, a thermos, a quilt, a stove...

While talking, Caiwang Kangxi squatted on the ground and packed up all the items with his family. "First put the bed, quilt, and clothes in order. When it gets warm at noon, let your parents move over first." He hugged the thick quilt and leaned over to put it in the trunk of the vehicle.

The sun is to the west. Outside the tent, things slowly became lively. Not far away, rows of wooden houses stand quietly in the sun.

Many people have already started packing their things, looking forward to moving into a sturdy and warm house.

"We heard that the prefabricated house was built, so we wanted to go and see where we would live in the future." Jimei, a villager from Zharugai Village, said with a smile as she was walking towards the prefabricated house.

"There are 60 prefabricated houses in Zharugai Village. We started construction at 2 a.m. on the 24th and completed the construction task within 24 hours." Xiang Yusheng, project manager of China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Bureau, said, "During the construction, some children came over and asked when we could move in. In order to deliver the prefabricated houses to the people as soon as possible, everyone is very motivated."

The afternoon sun spreads on the ground, dispelling the chill bit by bit.

In the prefabricated house area, some people are checking and cleaning the "new home", and some families have moved in some furniture. Smiling faces were immersed in the bright afternoon light, and the sounds of talking and moving things were endless.

After a while, Caiwang Kangxi drove into the cabin area, hugged the folding bed and quilt, and stepped into his "new home".

After pushing the door open and entering, he stood in the center of the room, slowly looked around, and after putting down the things, the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

"I was living in a tent a few days ago, and I was always worried that the elderly and children would not be able to sleep well." Caiwang Kangxi muttered in a low voice, "Now, my life is more stable."

Unfold the folding bed, shake off the quilt, and put the daily necessities in place one by one. Under his care, the small house quickly became like a home, warm and comfortable.

Outside the prefabricated house, the staff patrolled door to door without stopping.

Check the wiring, confirm the sealing of doors and windows... "In order to ensure that people live warmly, we dug chimneys for the board houses as soon as everyone moved in." Zhang Xuhui, the leader of the China Railway board house construction team, said, "We must ensure that people stay warm during the winter."

Dusk spreads over the surrounding mountains, and night falls slowly. At about 20:00 on the 25th, the prefabricated houses for the disaster-stricken people in Zharugai Village were gradually powered on.

The wind on the plateau is still blowing. In the area of ​​​​the wooden house, lights are turned on one after another, mixed with the warm firelight of the cow dung stove, and the "warmth" gathers here.

From temporary shelter from the wind to living in sturdy and warm wooden houses, this is a real change in the lives of the people affected by the disaster in Baqing.

At night, the reporter walked into Caiwang Kangxi's wooden house again. The flames in the cow dung stove were beating slowly. The baby was wrapped in multiple layers of soft blankets and fell asleep peacefully in the cold night of the plateau.