The Jinyu County government said it would abandon the ¥4.6 billion (about €550 million) road scheme and create a protected zone across the upper Qinghe valley in north-western Sichuan. The announcement came at the end of a three-hour public inquiry hearing attended by more than 300 residents, planners and tourism operators.
Under the replacement plan, 16 villages will be linked by shuttle buses and repaired footpaths, while new rules will limit large buildings along the ridge. The county says the measures will cost ¥1.2 billion (about €145 million), partly funded by money no longer needed for the road.
Road plan gives way to photo trails
The proposed road would have climbed from the county seat to a high pass above the valley, cutting through fir forest and several centuries-old terraces. A county assessment estimated that it would shorten the trip to the pass by 42 minutes; local opponents argued that the cuttings and roadside hotels would alter the very scenery drawing visitors there.
A display at the hearing paired 2,760 dated photographs with present-day views. The images, collected by local photographers and residents from 1978 to 2025, showed new buildings appearing along the valley and wooded slopes gradually thinning. Ege Alyanak, a photographer who helped catalogue the collection, said the comparisons made abstract planning maps “feel like somebody’s family album with the missing pages put back in”.
We can bring visitors up here without paving the ridge from end to end.
Ege Alyanak, photographer
County officials said the photo archive was reviewed alongside engineering estimates and a survey of 41 kilometres (25 miles) of existing paths. The final route proposal would have crossed 11 of the 16 villages in the new protected zone, according to figures presented at the hearing.
Residents who spoke during the session backed better access but pressed for work to start on existing trails before another tourism project was approved. Sandrine Mohr, who runs a small guesthouse near the valley entrance, said visitors often asked for walks that did not require a car. “A regular shuttle and clear paths would give us a longer season, not just a crowded holiday week,” she said.
County prepares December vote
The county government said it would publish a draft boundary map on 30 November, with a final protection plan scheduled for review by the county people’s congress in December. The proposal would prohibit new hotels above three storeys in designated view areas and require officials to assess how major buildings would appear from 12 marked public viewpoints.
Devendra Radhakrishnan-Kohli, a geographer who advised the hearing panel, said the old images were useful because they showed change over time rather than offering a single idealised view. He urged officials to keep the photo archive open to schools and village planning groups, and to add new images from fixed camera positions each year.
The county says shuttle routes will be tested next spring, with a first service connecting the county seat to three trailheads. Officials said they would publish passenger numbers and trail-repair costs every six months, giving residents a way to check whether the promised alternative is working before another road proposal reaches a hearing.
