Nature needs time to recover after earthquake

JIUZHAIGOU COUNTY in Southwest China's Sichuan province has long been famous for its scenic wonders, and tourism is a supporting pillar of the local economy. Yet a magnitude 7 earthquake on Tuesday damaged many of the local scenic spots. The most famous of them, Nuorilang Waterfall, has almost "disappeared". Beijing News calls for patience to let nature itself repair the scenic wonders:

Nuorilang Waterfall is the widest waterfall of its kind in the country, as well as one of the few waterfalls formed by calcified stones. It took thousands of years for nature to form Nuorilang, yet it took only minutes for nature to destroy it.

While many voices online call this a pity and discuss the possibility of artificially restoring the Nuorilang Falls, the majority of experts have already expressed the opinion that nature should play the major role in repairing the wounds of Jiuzhaigou. We can repair the infrastructure, such as roads and tourism facilities, but we must refrain from intervening in the local ecological recovery process.