New Beichuan County officially opened
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The reconstruction of quake-hit Beichuan County was completed on September 25. Following a ceremony to mark the handover from the construction team, New Beichuan County was officially opened.
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New Beichuan County officially opened |
The total cost of the first phase of rebuilding was 15.37 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) of which 9.5 billion yuan was spent on infrastructure, affordable housing and public service facilities.
The next phase, scheduled to complete in 2015, will enlarge the county and improve public services. A further phase of accelerated urbanization and industrialization of the surrounding areas will complete in 2020.
According to the Publicity Department of Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, 11,084 affordable and low-rent houses were built in a single year. With per capita green areas reaching 16 square meters, New Beichuan will be a truly livable city, the department said.
Beichuan County was one of the areas worst affected by the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The ruins of Beichuan became a symbol of the massive destruction and loss of life caused by the quake.
