Chinese experts have chosen the new site for Beichuan, the worst-hit county in the May 12 earthquake, in the neighboring Anxian County in southwestern Sichuan Province.
The new county seat will be located at the place called Bandengqiao in west Mianyang City, which is about 35 kilometers from its previous location of Qunshan Township.
An expert team in charge of the site choosing for Beichuan came to the conclusion after a month of research and it has submitted the plan to state council for approval.
"The new county seat covers three to five square kilometers and is expected to host 30,000 people. It will take three years for reconstruction once the plan approved," said Li Xiaojiang, head of China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, a member of the expertteam.
Beichuan Autonomous County of Qiang Nationality, whose county seat Qushan surrounded by hills 500 meters to 1,000 meters high, is one of the worst-hit areas in the 8.0-magnitude quake. More than 8,600 of the 13,000 people living in the county seat were killed in the quake.
It is impossible to rebuild the county seat at the original location or nearby as the quake has destroyed about 70 percent of the buildings there.
Experts finally chose Bangdengqiao, a flat land at the joint of Anchang and Huangtu townships, out of consideration on the safety, future development and residents' living tradition of Beichuan.
"Safety is the top priority in selecting a new location and reconstruction," said Li. "Bandengqiao saw few geological disasters in the history and this flat area is only about 35 kilometers to the urban area of Mianyang City, which is good for the future economic development of Beichuan."
The low-lying original county seat lay directly over a geological fracture zone, where quakes have frequently taken place in previous centuries, and it was encircled by mountains, leaving the buildings at a high risk of landslides.
Bangdengqiao is historically a habitat of Qiang Nationality, which is also helpful to pass on the cultures and tradition of Qiang people.
"Qiang People always prefer to live in the area with mountains and rivers and Bandengqiao is absolutely a good choice as the Anchang River just passes by the area," said Li.
The county government of Beichuan moved to work in the five-story Tianlong Hotel in Anchang Township, Anxian County after the quake.
Local government planned to build a monument and a memorial to commemorate the quake victims on the previous location, said Beichuan Party chief Song Ming.
Source: Xinhua
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