For Min Jia, the relief concerning his son, 5, is palpable.

"I have worried for such a long time about where he will attend primary school next year," said the 29-year-old farmer from the Haoxi ethnic Hui township in Qingchuan county, Sichuan province.

Min has worked with a property management company in Guangyuan city, which administers Qingchuan, for about 10 years. His son, Min Jianhong, lives with him in a small apartment the family rents in Guangyuan.