Guilin City, one of China's most popular tourist destinations, will turn Zizhou Isle on the Li River, into park for sports, entertainment and sightseeing.

According to local sources, the projected park will have a total area of 557,000 sq m, of which, land area will make up 357,000 sq m, and the rest of it will be a water area.

The project will cost US$120 million of investment from three partners, including a Hong Kong company, and will be built in three stages. The investment for the first stage will be US$30 million.

Zizhou Isle has an average elevation of 149 m, but people standing on this islet can easily view other scenic sites along both banks of the Li River.

The small island used to be home to 250 households, with a population of 1,000, who depended on fishing for their livelihood. Since there is a lack of civil urban facilities on this island, with an inadequate power supply and no tap water, nor fire control works, nor roadside lighting, nor telephone service, and the small isle's low elevation makes it prone to flooding, the islanders were happy to move out and live in downtown Guilin, said a local official.

According to him, the resettlement, which began April last year, is expected to be finished by late April this year.

Guilin, with a history of more than 2,000 years, is well known for its natural scenery, clear water and strangely shaped karst formations. Its mountains and waters are considered the "best under heaven".

(Eastday.com.cn 03/27/2001)