All rebuilt and renovated houses in the earthquake-stricken area of Dingri County, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, have been handed over for use, with affected residents gradually moving into their new homes this winter.

More than 32 500 destroyed or damaged houses have been restored and handed over to affected residents, according to the authorities of Xigaze City, Xizang.

The 6.8-magnitude quake on January 7 struck Xigaze City, including Dingri.

Senga Village of Dingri was one of the worst hit, with only one home barely livable after repair, while homes of the other 126 households had to be rebuilt from ground zero.

For villagers from Senga Village, the new homes bring tangible improvements and a profound sense of comfort.

"Now, as you can see, the house has an insulation layer on the outside. It's extremely warm in winter, and that makes me feel extremely happy," said Tashi Lhunpo, a villager from Senga Village.

Following the earthquake, all member units of the National Committee for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief provided full support to Xizang for disaster relief and assistance work.

The reconstruction initiative was launched in early March, with full-scale construction commencing in early June.

A total of 134 enterprises and more than 60000 construction workers participated in the rebuilding effort. They successfully completed construction tasks across 1,032 sites in 47 townships, achieving the goal of "moving into new homes within the same year when the disaster struck."

The restoration work covered 486 villages in seven counties, resulting in the reconstruction of more than 22000 houses and the reinforcement of an additional 10500 homes. The first batch of quake-affected residents have moved into new homes in August.