On the morning of October 25, 2007, staff workers at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center were busy cleaning the launch pad for China's first lunar orbiter Chang'e-1. In the afternoon, they would go back home to enjoy a several-day holiday. Outside the launch center, where Chinese and foreign reporters had clustered for days, only local farmers were occasionally found passing by. After the bustle of the past 10 days, Xichang locals found themselves quite unaccustomed to the present feeling of isolation.
Residents, however, can see a loss in this newfound quiet. While the liftoff of Chang'e-1 marked another milestone in China's aerospace program, it also brought some 40 million yuan to Xichang, according to a People.com.cn report.
After Chang'e-1 went into orbit, reporters from home and abroad left the launch center. Local villagers, who previously fought for business leading these news-thirsty reporters down secret paths to watch the launch, re-engaged themselves in their normal farm work.
The return to normal life made Abu, a middle-aged man of the Yi ethnic group, feel a bit disappointed. Starting on October 15, reporters began to arrive in Xichang and employ local farmers to lead them to nearby hilltops for a better view of the launch site.
At that time, Abu could earn at most 50 yuan for one trip to the hilltop; however, with the approach of the launch date, the fee began to rise. On October 23, one day before the liftoff, the fee skyrocketed to 500 yuan, and on October 24, when the satellite was sent into outer space at 6:05 in the afternoon, Abu earned 3,600 yuan by leading three tourists and two reporters to a hilltop in the vicinity of the launch center. "All in all, I made some 5,000 yuan these days," a broad smile spread over Abu's face when he recounted his fortune to the journalist.
After watching the launch of Chang'e-1, Chinese tourists explored the city of Xichang. Local travel agencies were crowded by tourists seeking the best sightseeing route for local sites. Mr. Tang, who came from Beijing to enjoy a one-month holiday, told the journalist that he had watched the liftoff of Chang'e-1 and he was going to spend one day to tour the city. Mr. Hu from central China's Hubei Province took a special interest in local specialties. He found the gastrodia tuber, an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, typically sold for eighteen yuan per kilogram in Wuhan, Hubei Province, priced at only seven yuan in Xichang. He bought 20 kilograms of the herb and was searching for other special local produce.
According to statistics released by the Xichang Tourism Bureau, by October 25, over 40,000 tourists had arrived at the city, occupying over 90 percent of local four-star hotels. Tickets for flights to Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan, were all booked. The local train station also witnessed the largest influx of passengers since the National Day Holiday.
Before the launch of Chang'e-1, the Xichang tourism departments erected spectator stands in the vicinity of the launch center, selling tickets at a price between 800 and 1,000 yuan. Although such an act was hotly debated among the public, it brought a huge profit to the local government. Deng Xianxiang, the Party secretary of Xichang, revealed that in the next few years, the Xichang government would work harder to develop themed tourism programs on the basis of the nearby satellite launch center and water conservancy projects.
(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, October 30, 2007)
