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China's First Desert Park
China plans to build its first desert-based ecological park in the Turpan Basin in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in an effort to protect the local natural environment and lure more tourists.
According to sources from the China National Tourism Administration, the park will cover an area of 54 square kilometers. A number of tourist facilities will be built enabling visitors to enjoy sightseeing, sand-surfing, and to get a bird's-eye view of the desert.
The park will be built at a cost of 33.7 million yuan (4.06 million U.S. dollars). Xinjiang's forestry department will be in charge of planning the project.
The park will be surrounded by the Gobi Desert and sand mountains, but local oases boast many cultural relics and colorful folklore.
Local authorities expect the park to be not only a tourist attraction, but also a method of fighting against sand storms caused by desertification and a way of improving the ecological environment.
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