Qiang people make a devotional offering to their god at a Qiang New Year ceremony. (Photo: Globaltimes.cn)

That was Yang Huawu. On a pleasant evening in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, he was sitting in an area where two years ago an earthquake killed about 70,000 people. It may be hard to see any evidence of the havoc wreaked by the earthquake in the city. But it is etched in Yang's memory, embedded in his heart.

He has typical Qiang ethnic features with curly hair, big eyes and a strong, firm face with a permanent tan. "I was lucky to survive the earthquake. I saw my friends die in front of me, and that was terrible," said Yang, who is director of the Qiang Ethnic Folk Culture Performance Troupe.

Before the quake, he had owned a tour company. When the earth shook, he was drinking tea with four friends. Within seconds, the teahouse collapsed, and three of his friends died.

"One thing I learned from the disaster is to treasure every single moment of life," Yang said. "Life is fleeting, and I want to spend my life time efficiently."

As the only Qiang autonomous prefecture in China, Yang's hometown Beichuan under Mianyang was one of the hardest-hit by the earthquake. About 20,000 Qiang people died, mostly in Beichuan, which is about 10 percent of the total Qiang population.

The calamity destroyed the Qiang Ethnic Museum and Qiang Culture Study Center, and many of the Qiang experts perished.