Mine gets a makeover

The Zhusha ancient town in Guizhou province once produced mercury and vermilion, accounting for more than 80 percent of the nation's total output. Now, it plays host to tourists. Yang Feiyue and Yang Jun report.

An abandoned mercury mine is shaping up to be a tourism hot spot. The Zhusha ancient town in Wanshan district, Tongren city, in Guizhou province, which covers an area of 5 square kilometers, produced 33,000 tons of mercury and vermilion from 1950 to 2001, accounting for more than 80 percent of the nation's total output then.

But the local government, which shut the mine, is now focused on green development.