Students sit in the rebuilt school's classroom in March 2013. PHOTOS BY HUANG YIMING / CHINA DAILY

The principal has taken solace from the children's recovery. The first-graders at the time of the quake are now in sixth grade. The others have gone on to junior and senior high schools.

"None of our children graduated with trauma," Cheng says. "So, I'm content. I can let out a huge sigh of relief."

Students disabled in the quake were taken by an NGO to a special school in Dujiangyan city, 48 kilometers from Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

"It has been a tremendous process going from the old school to the tents to temporary housing to the new school," Cheng says.

The new school, which withstood the Ya'an quake on April 20, is more advanced.

"We have modern equipment. We no longer use chalk," Cheng says, adding that a multimedia lab means teachers no longer need to use tape recorders for English lessons.

The principal says it's rare for a mountainside school like Hongbai to have English classes. "We're trying to become a model for similar schools."

And the improvements are not just material, he says. "We're also improving our management and teaching. We're trying to go beyond books to teaching good living. We've made great progress but still have a long way to go."

Meanwhile, he says the past five years of helping the children have changed his outlook.

"I'm more upbeat," he says. "I rarely lose my temper. I've matured. I've found peace. The quake taught me to value life and stay positive."