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Shangri-la town reopens after disastrous fire

Xinhua, January 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

An ancient Tibetan town reopened to visitors on Friday after authorities restored parts of the city destroyed in a devastating fire in 2014.

A total of 343 houses were burned down in Dukezong in Shangri-la City, Yunnan Province, in January 2014. The 1,300-year-old town is known for its well-preserved Tibetan homes.

The town has so far completed restoration of 95 damaged houses, some of which have opened for business, though many more are still being rebuilt, said Kang Jianhua, one leading official of the city.

Officials said they respected local cultures during reconstruction and tried to restore the town to its original appearance.

Dukezong, meaning town of the moon in Tibetan, is a major tourist resort whose fame was boosted by British writer James Hilton's 1933 novel "Lost Horizon."

After the blaze, which was caused by an electric heater, destroyed about one third of the town's buildings, concerns were raised over the fire risk of the largely wooden architectures.

The reconstruction features the use of fire-proof materials and renovation of fire control facilities, Kang said. Endi