By Liu Lanying (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-06-19 19:41

DUJIANGYAN - The Sichuan Branch of the State Development Bank (SDB) signed an agreement Wednesday with the Dujiangyan municipal government to provide a special loan of 700 million yuan (US$101 million) for the revival of the earthquake-hit tourism sector in Dujiangyan.

The Qinyan Tower, a component of the Erwang Temple in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, was badly damaged in the May 12 earthquake. [chinadaily.com.cn]

The money will be used for the reconstruction of the infrastructure damaged in the Mount Qingcheng-Dujiangyan scenic spot, said Wei Wei, president of the SDB Sichuan branch.

Sixty-five cultural relics under State protection and 119 under provincial protection in Sichuan province were severely damaged as a result of the earthquake. According to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Erwang Temple and Mount Qingcheng in Dujiangyan are among the worst hit.

The Erwang Temple, which translates as 'Temple of Two Kings', is located in Lidui Park which houses Dujiangyan, the world's oldest irrigation project still in operation.

The temple was built 2,000 years ago to honour Li Bing, the then governor of Sichuan and his son for their contribution to the construction of Dujiangyan. It collapsed in the quake.

At Mount Qingcheng, the birthplace of Taoism, China's only indigenous religion, several ancient buildings are in danger of collapsing.

Like the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, which was built around 256 BC, Mount Qingcheng is a world heritage site.

Wednesday also witnessed the opening of a fast track by the SDB Sichuan branch to offer loans to Dujiangyan after the branch signed an agreement with the Dujiangyan municipal government to provide a mid- and long-term loan of 20 million yuan (US$2.9 million) for the reconstruction of high schools in Dujiangyan.

Earlier, the branch provided Dujiangyan with an emergency loan of 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) for earthquake relief and a loan of 450 million yuan (US$65 million) for the reconstruction of damaged houses in the city to shelter 7,000 people, said Dujiangyan mayor Xu Xingguo.

The branch has long supported Dujiangyan’s reconstruction. By the end of last month, it had also pledged loans surpassing 7 billion yuan (US$1 billion) for the construction of the city’s infrastructure, water conservancy and communications, he said.