Thrown about and buried under rocks by the Sichuan earthquake, they have nevertheless proved resilient in the face of all that nature can throw at them - a metaphor, some hope, for the country itself.

Along with refugees, army relief lorries and ambulances, a new fleet of vehicles has begun hitting the streets.

On the principle that anything that can be salvaged from the rubble is better than nothing, residents of the earthquake zone have taken to trying to restart cars and vans apparently damaged beyond repair.

Actually, I think that will pass inspection in North Carolina. I took a 2003 windstar in that had the ABS light on and the Airbag light on and it passed with no problems