An aid-construction team from North China's Shanxi Province arrived in Sichuan Province shortly after the devastating earthquake in 2008. Tom Fearon looks at how the team has helped build roads and houses for villagers left with nothing.

Heihu Road is the only link between the quaint township of Heihu Qiang Village and the outside world. The village is famous for its Qiang ethnic minority and dozens of ancient buildings.

But the Wenchuan earthquake of 2008 seriously damaged the road. Landslides, caved-in cliffs and destroyed homes. Hope seem lost until Shanxi province's aid-construction team arrived on the disaster scene.

Duan Jincun, Director of Shanxi Aid Constructin Team, said, "When we arrived here, the road was blocked. Landslides and 40-thousand aftershocks occurred from time-to-time. One landslide even smashed our car."

The construction team took just seven months to complete the construction of the Heihu Road, six months earlier than expected.

Now, traffic has resumed on the road. Villagers are once again able to transport vegetables and fruits from county-to-county.

A villager said, "Since the road has reopened, we can transport our vegetables. Our income has also increased."

In addition to the road, the aid construction team also helped local people build new houses. By 2009, the team completed construction of nearly 15-thousand homes for villagers.