Six months after the earthquake, China's Sichuan province is more-or-less ready for visitors.
They've even got earthquake tourism started with an earthquake relic park now open in Qingchuan County, the hardest hit region. Instead of six villages they've now got 36 lakes in this area; tourists can visit for free although they're considered charging in the future.
As far as tourism is concerned, Sichuan officials were pretty pleased that no World Heritage Sites were seriously damaged--they also breathed a big sigh of relief that none of the 55,000 foreign tourists there at the time were killed. (We might point out that 88,000 Chinese people were, but apparently that's not on the agenda of tourism officials.) And as odd as it might be, they're probably expecting a boost in tourist numbers now that we all know where kung pao chicken actually comes from.
Related Stories:
· Quake Relic Park Opens in Sichuan [Shanghai Daily]
· Where Is the Epicenter of the China Earthquake? [Jaunted]
· China Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: Shanghai Daily]]]>