Residents left out of China's tourism boom

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- China's tourism boom made money for businesses that secured access to centuries-old landmarks and government officials, but not residents, observers said.

Thanks to a runaway economy and an international fascination with the nation, people are visiting well-known artifacts, such as the Great Wall, and lesser-known communities, such as Hongcun, the setting for the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

Admission fees tourists pay end up in the pockets of politically connected companies, which have negotiated access to priceless temples, tombs, grottoes and other antiquities from Beijing to the far western borders in Tibet, conservationists said.

Chinese and Western conservationists say villagers are left out of negotiations and, as a result, are alienated from their heritage. In some instances, some villagers said they no longer can visit temples freely, or access buildings and land their families held for generations.

"I don't object to tourism companies being involved in development," said He Xuzhong, founder and director of Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a nongovernmental organization. "But they should respect cultural relics and take care of locals. Regrettably, many cases are not like that."