'Quake Lake' to become tourist spot

Authorities in Sichuan are looking into making the Tangjiashan "quake lake" a tourist destination, AP reported. Beichuan and its surrounding areas – with bamboo forests, panda reserves and ethnic minorities – have traditionally been popular tourist spots. A Mianyang City official told state media that scientists were assessing how best to develop the lake, which was formed by earthquake rubble blocking the Jian River, and called the project "an important part of rebuilding Beichuan county." Earlier this month, more than 250,000 people downstream of Tangjiashan lake were evacuated due to fears that the lake would overflow. Tangjiashan is the largest of the 34 "quake lakes" and one of 27 no longer considered dangerous by the Sichuan provincial Department of Water Resources.