A Premier reason for celebration

Premier Wen Jiabao (second left) eats potatoes at a farmer's house during his visit to a village in Longnan City, Gansu Province. After his three-day inspection tour of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces that were hit by last month's massive earthquake, Wen said yesterday that rebuilding in the two provinces should be completed by 2010, and life should be close to normal in two months. The May 12 earthquake, centered in Sichuan Province, has killed nearly 70,000 people. Wen told local officials that new buildings must be economical, and take up less land, with safety as the top concern, particularly at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings.