US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文

    Shangri-la assets lost forever after town blaze

    By He Na, Yang Yang and Yu Hongqi ( China Daily ) Updated: 2014-01-14 09:22:57

    Shangri-la assets lost forever after town blaze

    The ancient town of Dukezong in Yunnan province lies devastated on Monday, three days after a blaze engulfed many areas. Qu Mingfei / for China Daily

    Infrastructure changes take their toll, report He Na and Yang Yang in Beijing and Hu Yongqi in Yunnan province.

    Irreparable damage to ancient architecture and traditional culture was caused by a fire that raged in an ancient Tibetan town in Yunnan province at the weekend, according to experts.

    The blaze in Dukezong, founded 1,300 years ago and a noted tourist attraction, destroyed 343 of the 1,084 houses in a town known for its cobbled streets and well-preserved wooden houses.

    The Shangri-la county government said the fire started when a hotel owner accidentally set curtains alight early on Saturday. Investigations are continuing.

    Although there were no reports of casualties, more than 2,600 people were evacuated from their homes.

    More than 2,000 firefighters, soldiers, police and volunteers were involved in the rescue operation as firefighters fought for more than 10 hours to bring the blaze under control.

    Although the Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture Red Army Long March Museum and Diqing Museum survived, at least half of Dukezong was destroyed in the blaze.Shangri-la assets lost forever after town blaze

    Cultural loss

    One of the best-preserved old houses, a provincial-level key cultural heritage site and a major tourist attraction, was reduced to ashes and a number of other ancient sites were also destroyed. In addition, the blaze consumed important cultural relics, precious Tibetan thangka and other pieces of ethnic art.

    "The value of Dukezong lies in its architecture and functional integrity. The fire destroyed the pattern of the town that was laid down in ancient times and has dealt a fatal blow to research in the region and to traditional culture," said Li Gang, the director of the Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture historical relics preservation agency.

    Li, born and raised in Dukezong, visited the town on Sunday. The scene reduced him to tears.

    "Everything was in a pitiful state. There was nothing left except broken, blackened walls. The once-prosperous town center is totally ruined and almost unrecognizable. Nothing remains of the magnificent buildings. The water that had been used to extinguish the flames lay frozen on the ground. I could see smoke coming from collapsed houses. The town looked as though it had been the target of an air raid," he said.

    Residents said firefighters arrived at the scene quickly, but there was little they could do because the narrow streets prevented access for the fire engines.

    Li said changes made to the original infrastructure to accommodate the vast numbers of tourists the town attracts and insufficient fire safety procedures and equipment were among the root causes of the devastation. For example, the town's only water tank has a capacity of just 800 metric tons, far from sufficient to tackle a fire of such intensity.

    From a distance, Dukezong looks like an amazing ancient town, but seen up close it's a business area that sports bars, nightclubs, hotels and small shops. Electric cables hang everywhere.

    Tourism has been a double-edged sword for this ancient settlement. The influx of visitors has raised the local standard of living, but the town has also seen many changes in recent years and some locals said they hardly recognize it.

    Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

    Most Popular
    Special
    ...
    ...
    无码人妻精品一区二区三区99不卡| 国产中文字幕在线免费观看| 最近中文字幕高清免费中文字幕mv| 午夜人性色福利无码视频在线观看 | 中文字幕亚洲色图| AV无码精品一区二区三区| 制服中文字幕一区二区| 久久中文精品无码中文字幕| 亚洲国产精品无码AAA片| 无码人妻少妇久久中文字幕| 中文字字幕在线一本通| 久久午夜无码鲁丝片| 国产激情无码一区二区三区| 7777久久亚洲中文字幕| 亚洲AV无码专区日韩| 国产亚洲精久久久久久无码| 成人无码WWW免费视频| 亚洲日本中文字幕天天更新| 最近免费中文字幕mv电影| 中文字幕亚洲欧美日韩在线不卡| 亚洲精品无码不卡| 国产精品无码一区二区三级 | 久久午夜无码鲁丝片秋霞| 久久精品中文闷骚内射| 亚洲 日韩经典 中文字幕| 国产精品无码专区在线观看| 国精品无码一区二区三区在线| 无码人妻久久久一区二区三区| 中文字幕有码无码AV| 国产成人综合日韩精品无码不卡| 免费无码作爱视频| 精品国产一区二区三区无码| 国产激情无码一区二区三区 | 亚洲精品午夜无码电影网| 无码福利一区二区三区| 最好看的电影2019中文字幕 | 成在人线av无码免费高潮喷水| 无码人妻丰满熟妇区BBBBXXXX| 久久中文精品无码中文字幕| 五月天中文字幕mv在线女婷婷五月| 久久e热在这里只有国产中文精品99|