"Zhu
Jianqiang" enjoys its birthday cake.
A pig who miraculously survived
the devastating earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan Province in
2008 was treated to a birthday cake and a reunion with its former
owners Thursday -- exactly two years after it was pulled out of the
earthquake rubble.
The pig's former owners, Wan
Xingming and his wife Liu Dahui, attended the celebration with
soldiers from the Chengdu Military Area Command, who combed the the
debris for survivors after the quake.
Dubbed "Zhu Jianqiang," which
means "strong-willed pig," the pig devoured the corn-flour birthday
cake as Wan and Liu patted him on the head with affection. Then
everyone sang happy birthday to him.
His head held high like a
superstar, the pig posed for photographs with his well-wishers.
He became a household name in
China after being pulled from the rubble of Wan's pigsty on June
17, 2008, 36 days after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that killed
more than 90,000 people.
China's Internet users have
heralded the pig as a symbol of the will to survive.
The pig survived on water and a
bag of charcoal in the ruins of Sichuan's Pengzhou City. But his
weight dropped to 50 kg from 150 kg during the five-week
ordeal.
Fan Jianchuan, curator of a
privately-owned museum in Dayi County, bought the pig for 3,008
yuan and promised to look after him for the rest of his life.
The pig, now weighing 200 kg,
draws many visitors to the museum.
"If not for the quake, I'm sure
the porker would have ended up on the dinner table," said Wan,
62.
Wan and his wife rebuilt the pig
sty for two piglets they bought after the quake. "But they were not
so lucky: both were slaughtered for New Year celebrations."