He also stopped 65-year-old Tao Yaoxiu from sitting up from her bed. The tearful elderly thanked him for coming to visit them and Hu answered, "We are people's servants. We should take care of your business."

He thanked medical workers for trying their best to save people and hope them to work harder to help locals.

News spread soon about the visit of President Hu and more villagers came to see him.

"We are thinking of you and worrying for you difficulties. Please don't worry, the Party and government will try every method to settle you down and rebuild your hometown," he said. "We will pull through the hard time with support and assistance from the government and people nationwide as well as your own efforts. Your life will be better."

 

On Saturday evening, Hu said at a meeting that the local government should balance the quake relief and economic development but relief work would top the agenda.

The country should first solve the most urgent housing problem, he said. More tents and shiftable houses should be shipped to the quake zone so that locals can settle down and kids can go to school.

He also asked local governments to well organize people to pick up farming as the harvest season is drawing near.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2008)