The 809 Mini Vacation Town of Yichang Traffic Tourism has been put into operation now. This picture shows a corner of the resort town on May 19. (Photo by Huang Xiang, an all media reporter from the Three Gorges Daily)

　　“Flowers are in full bloom; the cypresses are so luxuriant”. The Xialao Stream in May, where majestic peaks compete with each other, and orioles sing amid green trees, brings out the best scenery of the back garden in Yichang.

　　The reporter drives to the 809 Mini Vacation Town which is located on the bank of the Xialao Stream on May 19, seeing visitors waiting in line to scan health codes, take temperature, and register.

　　Entering the park, tourists seem to come into the time tunnel, for they can not only ramble in the “Industrial Guest Rooms” between cliffs, the Time Auditorium with European style,the Mind-refreshing Book Bar with many collections, and the biggest indoor parent-child amusement park, but also can appreciate some old objects of the 1980s such as old boilers burning coal, wooden telegraph poles and china bottles. A handful of tourists are visiting the scenic spots, and several workers are stepping up to finish.

　　“The park is undergoing internal testing, and the newly-built tea bar on the top of the cliff will open to visitors on July 1.” On the basis of the original old 809 Factory, the park is modernized and rebuilt, which adds the elements of modern fashion while presenting the military industry culture in the third-tierarea, according to introduction from Li Jianxin, a head of the 809 Mini Vacation Town.

　　As the first military theme town in the third-tierarea of the Three Gorges area, this park has attracted a large number of tourists. Since the 19 days’ “internal test”, so far the number of visitors with consumption records has reached about 3500, and visitors top 300 people per day during the peak of the May Day holiday.

　　“Last year, we invested more than 6000 million yuan in the comprehensive improvement of the Xialao Stream basin.” Many projects, such as the reconstruction of flood control passages and parking lots, the reinforcement of the Xiajiang Bridge, the river dredging and the landscape planting, all enhance the sensory enjoyment of the scenic spot, according to information from Peng Hongmei in the town’s comprehensive department.

　　“All kinds of signs are well-appointed, including guide maps of the scenic areas and introduction boards, and there are many service facilities like trash cans to facilitate visitors.” Zhang Shuying and her families who are from an urban area are resting on a stone bench along the road, planning to stay here for the night as lunch for five cost only over 100 yuan. “We ask the staff about the price and it is veryreasonable,” she laughs.

　　Observing all the way, the reporter finds many young tourists in the town taking pictures for memory and livestream in front of the buildings, and some newly-weds are busy taking wedding photos. This town is striving to build 50 popular attractions, and the grass music festival, wedding photography base and other projects have entered the corresponding process up to now, Li Jianxin said. Meanwhile, decommissioned equipment from Hubei Huaqiang High-Tech CO., LTD. will be used for showing “military industry culture” to make the town be a unique tourist attraction with both retro and fashionable style. (Three Gorges Daily Reporter:Zou Yuan, correspondent: Cao Mengwen, Zheng Man)