China Begins to "Clean Up" Scenic Spots in Western RegionsThe Chinese government has started to move residents, hotels and other business facilities from its nature scenic spots in the western regions to protect their environment and restore their original outlook.Chen Saizhou, deputy commissioner of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, said that Aba will move restaurants and other business facilities out of Jiuzhaigou scenic spot over the next three years. Jiuzhaigou is regarded as a "fairy land" for its unique natural scenery. In 1992, it was listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage. Currently, Jiuzhaigou has over 5,000 beds in various hotels and inns as well as more than 1,000 residents. "The biggest hotel Nuorilang has already been removed, and the removal of the remaining ones will be completed by 2003," Chen said, adding that only some snack counters will be allowed in the spot. Residents in the area will also be moved out gradually and all the farmland in the area will be replaced with trees to reduce water, air and noise pollution, he said. China's western regions are rich in picturesque natural scenery, and for years tourism has brought a considerable income in for local governments. However, some local governments, too eager to make money out of the scenic spots, have built a large number of hotels, shops and other business facilities in these areas, resulting in quick urbanization and worsening environment. The Huangguoshu Great Falls, the largest in China, in Guizhou Province has learned a good lesson from deteriorating the environment. In 1992, Huangguoshu applied to UNESCO for being listed as the World Heritage but was simply rejected due to sparse forest coverage, too much unnecessary architectures and bad environment. An official with the China National Tourism Administration said that China's western regions has the greatest potential in the country's tourism sector, but he warned that to develop tourism without considering the environment will bring disastrous consequences. Guizhou seems quick to learn and recently the provincial government has mapped out a plan to move all of its residents and business facilities from Huangguoshu over a 10-year period, and meanwhile build a new town 8 kilometers away from the scenic spot to accommodate tourists and residents removed. The project will cost a total of 280 million yuan and will raise the forest coverage in Huangguoshu to over 49 percent from the current 10.3 percent. At the same time, the well-known Stone Forest scenic spot in Yunnan Province and Qingchenghshan--Dujiangyan scenic spot in Sichuan have also started to dismantle buildings that do not conform with the natural scenery. In Yunnan's Yunshanpin Forest Park, all business facilities have already been removed except a tea pavilion which is for tourists to take a rest. A wooden pavement was built flanked with wood fences to prevent tourists from stepping on the vegetation. The protection efforts has been fruitful and tourists say that they can again enjoy a quiet environment, lush vegetation, clean air and clear water. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |