Jia Qinglin (1st R), a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, shakes hands with artists from the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gannan, northwest China's Gansu Province, after watching a performance in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2012. Jia Qinglin watched a performance given by the artists from Gannan on Thursday. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua)-- Top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Thursday underlined the importance of improving welfare for residents in a mudslide-hit town in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remark before attending performances staged by artists from the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu, which was hit by a major mudslide in 2010.

Jia, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also told officials from Gansu to accelerate post-disaster reconstruction.

Half of the county seat of Zhouqu, located in Gannan, was devastated when an avalanche of mud roared down the slopes of a nearby mountain on Aug. 8, 2010 following days of heavy rain.

The catastrophe left more than 1,700 people dead or missing and destroyed buildings and roads, causing huge economic losses.

Post-disaster reconstruction started soon after the mudslide. According to the local government, all 170 of the post-disaster reconstruction projects planned for the county had started as of November 2011.