Villagers chat at a sweet tea house in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)
In January 2025, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County in the city of Xigaze, leveling thousands of houses.
Ten months after the earthquake, more than 32,500 destroyed or damaged houses have been restored and handed over to affected residents.
In Zimgag Village, one of the villages hardest hit by the earthquake, new houses are neat and sturdy and supporting facilities are well-equipped. People live a stable and pleasant life here.
Villagers enjoy leisure time at a sweet tea house in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)A boy with his sister on his back is pictured at a square in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)A girl is pictured in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Sonam Dekyi)Teenagers watch their friends play football at a football field in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)Villagers ride a tricycle in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)Teenagers play basketball at a basketball court in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jian)A villager selects clothes at a market in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)Villagers chat at a market in Zimgag Village of Chamco Township, in Dingri County of Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, on Jan. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance,
a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went
back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016,
working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
