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Crowds return to quake-hit sites

By Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-20 16:51

Video By Cai Ke

BEICHUAN: As he stood on a hill overlooking the ruins of Beichuan town on a freezing February morning, Deng Xing closed his eyes and started to pray. "May God bless those killed here. May they rest in peace in heaven," he whispered.

Tourists look around the Zhaohua Ancient City in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, during the traditional Spring Festival holidays on Jan 27. The number of visitors to various scenic spots in Sichuan now keeps growing. [China Daily]

Like thousands of visitors to the area over the last 10 months, the 26-year-old had traveled from his home in Mianyang, some 70 km to the south, to see the devastation caused by the May 12 earthquake with his own eyes. The last time he visited the county he had been a schoolboy.

"That was on a hot summer day when my parents brought the whole family," Deng recalled, then pointed at the Beichuan Hotel, once a famous landmark, now a pile of rubble.

Full Coverage:
Strong Earthquake Jolts China

Nestled deep in the mountain folds of Sichuan, Beichuan was a popular holiday spot before the quake but saw a sharp fall in tourism after the disaster last year. But the visitors are returning -- with some locals claiming there are more now than ever.

Some come to see just how violent the earthquake was, some to pay a tribute to those killed and some, like Deng, to reminisce on the area's former glory, said one survivor. But some also come to help.

When Wu Yingkai, of Shanxi province, first visited Beichuan in October last year he met a 12-year-old boy who had been left orphaned by the quake. The two became good friends and Wu returned just before the recent Spring Festival to help bring some cheer to the child during a difficult time. "I am here to bring care and warmth to this poor orphan," he said.

More than 10,000 people were killed in the earthquake, around half of Beichuan's total population, while 60 percent of its buildings in the newer areas were demolished, as were 80 percent in the old town. The destruction was so bad that the government plans to rebuild the county elsewhere.

The ruins, however, are expected to be preserved for future generations as a quake museum and memorial in the theme of "Forever Beichuan". According to media reports, it will be finished in 2012.

The town is now surrounded by a 3-m-high chain-link fence and barbed wire. But outside, businesses have been trading since last July.

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