Jiuzhai Valley to gradually reopen after earthquake

CHENGDU -- UNESCO World Heritage Site Jiuzhai Valley will reopen gradually after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist destination last August, according to a local official.

Liu Zuoming, Communist Party chief of the Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba in southwest China's Sichuan Province, said that the park will reopen partially and gradually.

The restoration will be completed in three years. Admission fees are expected to be reduced and tickets need to be booked in advance, Liu said.

The Sichuan government issued a restoration plan last November and decided to invest 11.8 billion yuan (1.8 billion U.S. dollars) into the restoration work.

Jiuzhai Valley, or Jiuzhaigou National Park, located in the mountains on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is well-known for its ethnic minority communities, superb mountainous landscape and stunning scenery.

Jiuzhai Valley has received more than 32 million tourists from home and abroad over the past 10 years. It closed on Aug 8 last year due to the earthquake.