Sichuan-Tibet Highway boosts tourism in remote mountainous village

Xi Rao, head of Waze town in Kangding county, Garze Tibeten autonomous prefecture, introduces the construction project of a tourism site in Yingguan village, Oct 13. Since 2006, a small number of local residents in the village have started home businesses where they help accommodate backpacking tourists. The village is rich in natural resources such as grasslands, snowy mountains and wetlands. Originally cut off from mainstream tourism, the village was opened up in 2008 when a section of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway passed through nearby Yingguan village. The advent of the highway, has enabled better traffic and more travelers to reach the village. This prompted the local villagers to tap deeper into the tourism business. In 2013 the local government invested around 20 million yuan ($3.6 million) to build a wetland park, with a tourism center providing food, lodging, and entertainment including horse-riding. [Photo by Ma Danning/chinadaily.com.cn]