The Mianyang government has lifted the flood alert from the Tangjiashan quake lake and allowed people to go home. But experts continue to monitor the lake because of the threat of aftershocks, landslides and heavy rain.

The muddy flood water has eased in the Jianjiang river.

CCTV reporter Zheng Junfeng said, "One month after the May 12th earthquake, life in Mianyang is finally returning to normal. As I stand in the city center, around me you can see people have come back to the streets, shops are open, and everything looks fine. The city of Mianyang looks very clean because people here are well known for enjoying good quality of life."

But experts monitoring the lake say their work is not done.

An engineer from Chinese Academy of Science, said, "This is one of our monitoring sites. We transfer live information to the headquarter in Mianyang and then to the State Council, so the information can be studied and decisions can be made based on sound judgment."