City hopes wetlands draw tourists

The first time I looked down from a viewing platform near the Ergun wetlands, one of the largest such sites in Asia, I was stunned by its beauty - the green of the trees against the white of the snow, intertwined and extending to the horizon.

But on the other side of the wetlands is the city of Ergun, which is hardly developed, if I may say so.

The city consists of gray houses scattered over a small area, with a few taller buildings (more than five stories) looming over them. It only takes 10 minutes to drive across the city.

It was in late March, when many southern provinces in China embraced the spring. But the city was still in winter, with minimum temperatures of 30 degrees below zero at night. Winter here is always extreme and long, lasting six months.

The deep freeze, combined with limited transport links to this remote city in the northern part of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, pose obstacles to its economic growth.

As Li Zhongguang, the deputy mayor said, fiscal revenue was only about 280 million yuan ($44 million) in 2011, of which a large proportion went to pay salaries of government staff.

So I was shocked again to hear that the city had paid about one-third of its revenue for consultants to draw up a tourism plan based on the use of the wetland, which may involve about 3 billion yuan in investment. But while I was covering the experts' meeting on this city's development, I understood that decision.

A university sophomore from Hailar, Hulunbuir League of the region, asked for leave to be a volunteer at the hotel, because she can speak English.

"I feel honored to help these foreign experts have smooth communication with locals. I know they are here to help us, making the city become prosperous while protecting the beautiful wetlands," she said with a big smile. Many of the other volunteers agreed.

When I went out, Li Min, a 38-year-old woman who drove people about in an old van, was curious about the ongoing meeting, asking: "We'll become rich if the plan works, right? I hope the plan won't bring any damage to the wetlands. I want my children to see the beautiful scenery."

This taught me that the public's participation and initiative in wetlands protection will be of much help in reaching the goal.