Town ripped by quake to be 5A tourist site
By Xu Chi |
February 24, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SICHUAN Province officials yesterday defended a controversial project to turn a town hit by a massive earthquake in 2008 into one of the country's top tourist attractions.
They said it was the only way to create jobs in the county and restore local economy that was destroyed by the disaster.
Xie Lushuang, a government official in Wenchuan County, told Chinanews.com that the earthquake had destroyed most of the farmland in the county and driven out many large companies, leaving many villagers without jobs.
Xie said the county's Yingxiu Town would be developed into a 5A (China's top grade) national tourist attraction offering various sightseeing routes.
Xie's remarks came after reports that the county was to make the town a "memorial site to mark itself as the epicenter of the earthquake on May 12, 2008." The project immediately stirred huge controversy, with many critics asking whether the government should be making money from the disaster and "cashing in from the ruins."
Some microbloggers also claimed that such a move would be hurtful to the county's villagers who had already suffered so much. But villagers in Yingxiu who were interviewed by Chinanews.com said they welcomed the project.
Gou Taiping, who lost her daughter in the disaster, said she could accept the project as it would bring more people to commemorate her daughter, and an increase in the number of tourists could help villagers open small businesses.
Another villager, Jiang Yongfu, was more equivocal: "If the town is successfully developed into a top attraction, us villagers' incomes may be well-boosted. On the other hand, the attraction may show our improving living conditions after the earthquake so those who have helped us may no longer worry about us."
Some villagers said they wanted more tourist events to be held in Yingxiu as they found that life was getting "much better" as tourism developed.
Last year, Wenchuan received 4 million tourists, bringing a total of 1.6 billion yuan (US$254 million) into the area. These were numbers very hard to imagine before the earthquake, Xie said.
But as tourists flocked to the county, the lack of facilities and good transport services became a problem and prevented more from coming. By developing tourism, Xie said, services would be improved.
The 8-magnitude quake which hit southwestern China in 2008, killed 87,000 people and left widespread devastation.
They said it was the only way to create jobs in the county and restore local economy that was destroyed by the disaster.
Xie Lushuang, a government official in Wenchuan County, told Chinanews.com that the earthquake had destroyed most of the farmland in the county and driven out many large companies, leaving many villagers without jobs.
Xie said the county's Yingxiu Town would be developed into a 5A (China's top grade) national tourist attraction offering various sightseeing routes.
Xie's remarks came after reports that the county was to make the town a "memorial site to mark itself as the epicenter of the earthquake on May 12, 2008." The project immediately stirred huge controversy, with many critics asking whether the government should be making money from the disaster and "cashing in from the ruins."
Some microbloggers also claimed that such a move would be hurtful to the county's villagers who had already suffered so much. But villagers in Yingxiu who were interviewed by Chinanews.com said they welcomed the project.
Gou Taiping, who lost her daughter in the disaster, said she could accept the project as it would bring more people to commemorate her daughter, and an increase in the number of tourists could help villagers open small businesses.
Another villager, Jiang Yongfu, was more equivocal: "If the town is successfully developed into a top attraction, us villagers' incomes may be well-boosted. On the other hand, the attraction may show our improving living conditions after the earthquake so those who have helped us may no longer worry about us."
Some villagers said they wanted more tourist events to be held in Yingxiu as they found that life was getting "much better" as tourism developed.
Last year, Wenchuan received 4 million tourists, bringing a total of 1.6 billion yuan (US$254 million) into the area. These were numbers very hard to imagine before the earthquake, Xie said.
But as tourists flocked to the county, the lack of facilities and good transport services became a problem and prevented more from coming. By developing tourism, Xie said, services would be improved.
The 8-magnitude quake which hit southwestern China in 2008, killed 87,000 people and left widespread devastation.
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