国内英语新闻:Quake-jolted world heritage site reconstruction to finish in southwest China

CHENGDU, Nov. 12 (Xinhua)-- The reconstruction of the Erwang Temple, which was damaged in the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008, is expected to finish on Nov. 18 in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to local heritage protection authorities on Friday.

Sitting in the Yulei Mountains in Dujiangyan City, Erwang Temple was built over 2,000 years ago to commemorate Li Bing and his son, the two engineers who built the Dujiangyan irrigation system, which was listed as a World Heritage site in 2000.

The temple will soon be partially open for visitors and the final touches are being added to the water supply, drainage system and lavatories in these areas, said Fan Tuoyu, deputy chief of the Dujiangyan Cultural Relics Administration.

The entire temple will be opened after the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 3, 2011, said Fan.

The reconstruction project kicked off in June, 2008 with an investment of 126 million yuan (19 million U.S. dollars) from the central budget.

The temple was seriously damaged in the Wenchuan earthquake with almost all the ancient buildings having collapsed.