Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 quake which struck a mountainous region in southwestern China, destroying several villages, killing more than 70,000, and leaving another 18,000 still listed as missing. In the hard-hit town of Beichuan, dozens of massive buildings toppled or collapsed. Chinese authorities decided to stabilize the remaining buildings after the earthquake, preserving the entire town as a memorial to the tremendous loss. Collected here are photographs of Beichuan as it stands today, mourners paying their respects, a newly-opened museum, and some of the rebuilding taking place in the region. See also: The Legacy of Sichuan's Big Earthquake.
Sichuan Earthquake: Five Years Later
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Read moreResidents gather before a monument on the 5th anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, on May 12, 2013, in Yingxiu township of Wenchuan county, Sichuan province. China. #
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Read moreResidents attend a ceremony among the ruins of Beichuan, to mark the 5th anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in old Beichuan county, on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreEarthquake survivors mourn for earthquake victims at the ruins of earthquake-hit Beichuan, on the five year anniversary of the earthquake, on May 12, 2013, in Mianyang, China. #
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Read moreResidents give offerings and mourn the dead on the 5th anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreFamily members of earthquake victims burn offerings to mourn their relatives at the ruins of Beichuan, on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreThe ruins of earthquake-hit Beichuan, on May 11, 2013 in Mianyang, China. #
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Read moreAn aerial view of the ruins of Beichuan, viewed on Google Earth. #
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Read morePeople visit the newly-opened Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum in the town of Qushan, Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, on May 9, 2013. The museum was officially opened to the public to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, which hit Sichuan on May 12, 2008. #
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Read moreResidents stand before a monument to the victims of the 5-12 Sichuan earthquake on the 5th anniversary of the disaster, on May 12, 2013, in Yingxiu township. #
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Read moreA young tourist visits the Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial in Mianyang, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreA mother cries for her son in the ruins of Beichuan, on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreTourists visit the old Beichuan county, deserted after the town was hit by a massive earthquake on May, 12 2008, in Sichuan province, on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreResidents view some of the ruins of old Beichuan county, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreTwo men lower the national flag at the Beichuan Middle School's ruins on May 11, 2013 in Mianyang. #
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Read morePeople mourn for earthquake victims at the ruins of earthquake-hit Beichuan county, on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreRelatives of earthquake victims burn offerings in the ruins of Beichuan on May 12, 2013. #
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Read moreNighttime view of the ruins of Beichuan, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreA tree continues to grow at the foot of a collapsed building and destroyed car, left in place since the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreRuins of Beichuan, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreEmpty toppled buildings in Beichuan, on May 11, 2013. #
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Read moreHuge landslides triggered by the 2008 earthquake filled valleys and dammed rivers, creating "quake lakes", and altering river flows. Part of the Jian River still flows through a mountain road tunnel in Beichuan, spilling out over a broken bridge, photographed on May 10, 2013. #
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Read moreFlowers blossom on the wreckage of the 5-12 Sichuan earthquake in Mianzhu, on May 8, 2013. #
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Read moreWorkers build a wooden house near the earthquake ruins in Beichuan, on May 10, 2013. #
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Read moreNewly-built residences and common buildings in Beichuan county, photographed on May 11, 2013, before the five year anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake in Mianyang, China. #
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Read moreNewly-built residences and common buildings in Beichuan county, photographed on May 11, 2013, before the five year anniversary of the Wenchuan Earthquake in Mianyang, China. #
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Read moreChildren gather around cakes on a table as they celebrate their birthdays at a temple in Shifang, Sichuan province, on May 12, 2013. According to local reports, the children were born shortly after May 12, 2008, the time the Wenchuan Earthquake struck. A Buddhist abbot took in 108 pregnant women in his temple, and helped them deliver their children. On the fifth anniversary of the earthquake, the children came back to celebrate their birthday as well as expressing their gratitude to the temple. #
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