Study eyes 'quake lakes' as tourist attractions

A feasibility study is under way to determine whether the Beichuan lakes created by Sichuan's May 12 earthquake have the potential to be tourist attractions.

Yang Liming , Beichuan county's publicity director, said yesterday that a team of experts had visited the area to survey the sites. The idea is to determine whether Tangjiashan - the biggest lake formed by the quake - could be spruced up to become a permanent attraction.

More than a dozen 'quake lakes' were created in the area.

The nation was on edge for more than a week as the rising waters in Tangjiashan threatened to swamp more than a million people. Hundreds of soldiers raced against time in dangerous conditions to dig a drainage channel - a project that eventually paid off.

'There is an idea to turn this site of heroism into a permanent tourism destination as we begin to rebuild our homeland. It is still a rough idea, prompting us to come up with more supporting material,' Ms Yang said.

'The experts mostly come from local geographic and demographic institutes. Their mission is to explore the area, take photos, gather data and compile a report, which we would submit to some higher-level decision-makers.'

But the coming rainy season might sink the ambitions, as the structures of dams created by natural landslides