The Latest Progress in Sichuan Reconstruction

By staff reporter Liu Qiong

The reconstruction in the earthquake-hit areas has always been a focus of public attention. In a press conference on March 8, some NPC deputies from Sichuan Province introduced the latest progress. According to the data released by National Bureau of Statistic of China on February 26, the economic loss caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12, 2008, reaches RMB 845.1 billion.

“By the end of February, 10,124 key reconstruction projects have been started, accounting for 31 percent of the total projects planned,” said Wei Hong, a NPC deputy and deputy governor of Sichuan. The province is expected to complete 72 percent of its reconstruction by end of this year.

The primary goal of the reconstruction is to house every family in the region, a task that demands as much as RMB 1700 billion.” In the countryside alone the disaster caused damage to homes of 3.47 million families, of which those of 1.26 million families have to be rebuilt.

The earthquake also took a heavy toll of local tourism industry. Sichuan’s 2008 tourism revenue fell 11.3 percent from that of 2007 to RMB 109.15 billion. But signs of recovery have come into sight this year.

“Thus far, most of scenic spots are open to public again," says Liu Jie, director of Sichuan Development and Reform Commission. “During the 2009 Spring Festival holiday the number of tourists to Sichuan increased by 21.9 percent over the same period of 2008, and the income they generated up 32.8 percent.” He welcomed more visitors to the province to see its natural beauty and splendid culture.