Chinese middle school toppled in 2008 quake rebuilt with donations

A total of 200 million yuan (31.7 million U.S. dollars) in donations fully covered the cost of rebuilding a middle school in southwest China that was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 2008, according to the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (AFRO). The actual cost of the reconstruction was 197.93 million yuan, just below the 200 million yuan donated by 73 countries and regions since the earthquake occurred, Qiao Wei, vice chairman of the federation, said at a press conference on Thursday. "The reconstruction efforts included not only rebuilding the school, but replacing its equipment as well," Qiao said. The reconstruction of the school started on May 12, 2009, precisely one year after the earthquake occurred. Reconstruction was completed in August 2010. The school is the only full-time middle school in the Beichuan Qiang autonomous county, located in southwest China's Sichuan province. A devastating magnitude-8.0 earthquake occurred in the region on May 12, 2008, leaving 87,000 people dead or missing, including 1,300 of the school's 2,900 students and teachers.