Although I cannot be sure, I believe that I saw these buildings in the news from China. Destroyed. Shells of what they were. Built in the 60s and 70s, and now the tombs of many thousands of people.
I was in China almost exactly three years ago, travelling from Yangshou and Guilin up to Chengdu in Sichuan Province. The highlight of that leg were the pandas, of course.
But in getting to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center, perhaps 20 or 30 km out of Chengdu, was quite the ordeal. No pavement, potholes that would swallow entire buses, and detours around (it seemed) whole towns were de reigeur. It was amazing to us that the road to such a world class facility the Panda Centre would be so hard to traverse.
The buildings that I saw enroute were equally sketch. It is easy all too easy (unfortunately) for me to imagine the destruction that took place.
As a total aside (and not to minimize the human suffering that is taking place) there is a note about the pandas. Form the Centre itself:
After the severe earthquake which hit Wenchuan, Aba, Sichuan Province on 12th May 2008, the Base has received many calls inquiring about the safety of the giant pandas and employees from individuals and organizations both at home and abroad. Strong tremors were felt at the Base, with damage occurring to a part of the facilities including fences, the museum, research center, office buildings, and retaining wall. However, all staff have remained at their posts since the quake. Notwithstanding the unforeseen disaster and concern about their families, the staff remained calm and made sure the pandas were taken care of. Immediately after the quake, the Base set up an emergency aid team and worked out corresponding plans to cope with future situations.
A little bit of good news at least.