Scenic area in southwest China reopens a year after earthquake

Aerial photo shows rescue workers fixing a road linking to Hailuogou scenic area around Moxi Town of Luding County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

CHENGDU, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hailuogou, a popular scenic area in southwest China's Sichuan Province, reopened to visitors on Tuesday, over a year after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake forced its closure, according to its management committee.

To ensure a positive sightseeing experience and the safety of tourists, the site has temporarily capped its daily arrival capacity at 500 visitors and is only accepting reservations made by travel agencies.

"We have widened the road and built new tunnels and bridges to bypass areas destroyed by the earthquake," said Sun Lai, chairman of Sichuan Jiaojian Tianlu Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. The overall time it takes to travel to the attraction's core area has also been reduced significantly, he added.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Luding County in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Sept. 5, 2022, killing over 90 people.