Adult survivors' resilience process after a disaster is crucial for their adaptation and well-being, and is dependent on cultural context. The aim of this study was to explore the development process structural connotation of adult survivors' resilience five years after the Wenchuan Earthquake. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Twenty-six adult survivors were recruited by purposive sampling from four reconstructed communities in Beichuan County, China. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Their resilience centered on reconstructing life through post-earthquake challenges. Four themes emerged regarding their resilience process: realizing personal resources, maintaining family integrity, negotiating for cohesion in community living, and navigating social support opportunities. Bereavement, personal or family member's illness and family member's disability, and financial burdens acted as risk factors for their resilience. This study provides knowledge on how to maintain resilience after earthquake from the perspective of adult survivors in China. Adult survivors in this study struggled to reconstruct life through post-earthquake challenges by negotiating personal resources, family integrity, cohesive community and social support.