Quarantine has ended in two bird flu-hit areas in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China on Thursday after 21-day's isolation and monitoring, local authorities said.

Quite a few local farmers went to the market to sell their poultry. "I have 1,000 chickens for sale," said Zhu Shengyou, a farmer in the Hexi Village of Anningqu Township in Xinjiang.

The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Anningqu Township was confirmed by the national bird flu lab on November 14. All birds and poultry were immediately killed within a three-kilometer radius of the spots and the local live poultry markets were shut down.

Zheng Ming, whose poultry were found to be infected with bird flu on Nov. 11, told Xinhua that his life is going back to normal with the lifting of bird flu quarantine.

"I want to apply for a loan and raise some sheep and ox," he said.

"The farmers will get compensation for poultry culling before the end of this month," said Li Zhanqing, an official with the Urumqi Municipal Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau.

Also Thursday, the Xingqing District of Yinchuan City in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was lifted of a 21-day quarantine.

"I've been hungering for a hen for nourishment," Ms. Chen, who just delivered a baby a week ago, told Xinhua excitedly while hearing the news.

Local market is also reviving.

"I'm now preparing for the supply of chicken and duck meat," said a shop owner surnamed Wang at the market in the Hubin Street of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia.

So far, China has reported about 30 outbreaks of bird flu in 11 provinces and regions and confirmed five human cases of bird flu.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2005)