A picture of that moved the entire nation. Now, his act of devotion has indirectly helped him to get remarried, reported Apple Daily.

On Sunday, Mr Wu, 45, tied the knot with a woman from Chengdu, Ms Liu Rurong, also 45, in an official ceremony organised by the Sichuan government.

Both have teenage sons who gave their blessings, reported news portal sina.com.cn.

Mr Wu said he fell in love with Ms Liu as she is as thoughtful and sweet as his dead wife Shi Huaqiong.

He had already got that impression right from the first phone call Ms Liu made to him on 16 Oct, he said.

'Rurong asked me about the situation here and was very caring towards me. We hit it off,' added Mr Wu.

Ms Liu, who is working in Shenzhen, had been trying to get Mr Wu's phone number after the story of his dead wife broke.

Ms Liu, who has a teenage son from a previous marriage, said that she was attracted to MrWu as she found him to be a responsible and faithful man from the media reports.

If she were to remarry, it had to be someone like Mr Wu, she said.

Mr Wu, looks back at his dead wife, Shi Huaqiong, strapped to him on a motorcycle, in Hanwang, Sichuan, China on May 14, 2008.

She was not the only one moved by his story, however.

Mr Wu also received phone calls and love letters from 15 other women from Sichuan, Guangdong and even Hong Kong, reported Apple Daily.

But not a day went by without a phone conversation between Ms Liu and Mr Wu.

The calls lasted up to two hours.

Soon, Ms Liu couldn't bear not meeting Mr Wu anymore.

On 9 Nov, she flew from Shenzhen to meet Mr Wu in Sichuan's Mianzhu city.

The sparks, which had already been flying during the phone calls, intensified.

On 18 Nov - after meeting for just nine days - they decided to get married.

The ceremony was done in Mr Wu's temporary home - a tent. There was no banquet and no guests, only a simple ceremony.

When a Sichuan government official heard the story, he invited the newlyweds to join 29 other couples in a specially organised mass wedding on Sunday.

In the ceremony, Mr Wu was decked out in a black suit and Ms Liu, in a flowing white gown.

When asked about the photo that made him famous, Mr Wu said: 'I didn't think it was anything noble. I was just doing what a husband ought to do.'

But when asked if he still thinks of his dead wife, Mr Wu remained mum, reported Apple Daily.

It was not clear if he couldn't hear the question or just pretended not to hear.

The reporter repeated the question but was stopped by an official.

The whirlwind romance have left people divided in their opinions.

A Shenzhen native, known only as MsZhang, told Apple Daily that Mr Wu should wait for at least a year after the former wife's death.

Good fortune

But another Shenzhen native Ms Hu said it is Mr Wu's great fortune and people should not expect him to remain a widower all his life.

To be sure, they are not the only ones. 370 other couples have registered to remarry since the quake struck in May.

However, Mr Wu and Ms Liu will be living apart for the time being, reported sina.com.cn.

To help raise money for Mr Wu's new house, Ms Liu had borrowed 40,000 yuan ($8,500) from her boss in Shenzhen.

She would be repaying the debt by deducting 1,500 yuan every month from her 2,000-yuan salary. Going by this rate, it would take her 21/2 years to clear the debt.

'Once I pay up, I will go to Mianzhu and live with him,' she said.

JOY AFTER THE SICHUAN QUAKE: PART II

Remarriages show healing process

AN INCREASE in the number of new couples in earthquake-wrecked Beichuan county is a sign that a psychological recovery is beginning in Sichuan, China.

At least 370 couples have registered to re-marry after losing their spouses in the earthquake.

There are also other couples who were fortunate enough to escape the calamity, like MrZheng Guangming and Ms He Chenxi.

After the quake hit, Mr Zheng had rushed to MsHe's workplace, searching in vain for her.

He couldn't find her, so for four days, he stayed near where her office once stood.

Mr Zheng had good news - Ms He's parents had agreed to let their daughter marry him - but he was afraid that he would never get to tell her.

So, from time to time, he shouted into the rubble: 'Chenxi, you must hang on! I have just come back from your parents' place! They've agreed to our marriage!'

Ms He was rescued 104 hours after being trapped under layers of concrete.

They married five months later.

Although Mr Zheng lost his clothing business, he still has his loved one as he tries, like the other Sichuan natives, to rebuild their homeland.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 30, 2008.