Tourist attraction benefits locals

The news that Yingxiu town of Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, intends to establish a national top-level 5A-class tourist attraction might sadden many people. Some may wonder: How can a place with such unbearable pain suddenly be turned into a tourist attraction, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

According to media reports, the Yingxiu 5.12 epicenter memorial will display local customs, the rural experience, the unique ecology, and the earthquake epicenter in order to expand the tourist market.

However, opponents argue that this is exploitive and hurtful to the people living in the disaster area. The first time I went to Yingxiu, I had the same misgivings. At that time, six months after the earthquake, tourism in the disaster area was just beginning. There was outdoor advertising for DVDs recording the earthquake and a "viewing platform" from which one could view the earthquake ruins.

This commercialization of pain and suffering made me angry, but as a non-native, I might have overreacted. In fact, the local government had no alternative but to build a scenic zone on the ruins of the earthquake, which has deprived villagers of their land. Locals can only depend on the development of tourism to revive their economy.

To be fair, building a 5A-class scenic spot does not necessarily imply forgetting the past. It is just an evaluation system. After the earthquake, tens of thousands of people came each day. If upgrading services can let people enjoy more convenience in parking, facilities and food, criticism will disappear.

After the earthquake, the local people lost their properties and income. They had to come up with other ways to make a living. A grandmother who lost her house and grandchildren in the earthquake is selling wildflowers at the gate of the memorial park.

The memory of the earthquake cannot be erased from the minds of the people of Yingxiu, but the town cannot always be a disaster areas. If striving for a 5A-class scenic spot is based on respecting the wishes of the Yingxiu people, we should not make a fuss. Their future development should not be abducted by our moral disapproval.