Jiuzhaigou,a tourist resort in west China's Sichuan province,is considering launching a special tour,which could be the most expensive ever in China,the local government said yesterday.

The tour,which could cost as munch as US$5,000,offers close and full contact with golden-haired monkeys,an exclusive creature in Jiuzhaigou,where wildlife environment is carefully reserved.

Tourists will be carried by helicopters into the resort and have native guides all along the field trip.

"The tour seems expensive,"Yuan Shijun,vice director of Jiuzhaigou's government said."But tourists will find the price worthy after the exciting experiences," he added.He said the local government has turned in the admission fee proposal to the tourism authority for approval.

"The charges are not for tickets in fact,"Yuan emphasized," but donation to wildlife protection." He said the government plans to build some shield construction in the resort,where tourists can have a close watch of the monkeys without being noticed by the creatures.

"With these buildings,we'll better protect the tourists,as well as preserve the environment for the monkeys," he said.Wildlife may remove if they find human beings intrude their living spaces.

Tourists will be equipped with global positioning system,telecommunications gadgets and other high-tech facilities that are required for field adventures,according to Yuan.

The two wildlife resort zones,where the government plans to launch the monkey tour,are Wujiao and Baihe,each 10and 40kilometers away from the town of Jiuzhaigou.About 1,500 golden-haired monkeys are said living in the Baihe zone.

( eastday.com Decmeber 26, 2001)