Another way to help is to go to Sichuan as a tourist and inject much needed money back into the economy, and keep the hundreds of thousands who depend on tourist revenue in jobs.

Be smart though, do your research online and call hotels, hostels and tourist bureaus/attractions before you go to make sure and find out where the best places to go are, where the best places to stay are (i.e. that are not full dealing with earthquake related helpers). Remember, things in China are never what they seem. For example, though the stunning Jiuzhaigou is open and you can fly to and from the airport (despite some flight changes), the road there from Chengdu (it is a beautiful and popular 10 hour coach drive) seems to be closed.

Xinhua reports the latest in an article titled, "Quake-battered Sichuan Reopens 13 Cities to Tourists:" Quake-battered Sichuan Province reopened 13 cities and prefectures to tourists on Saturday in a move to revive its once-booming travel industry.

The cities are Zigong, Panzhihua, Luzhou, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Nanchong, Yibin, Guang'an, Dazhou, Meishan, Ziyang and Liangshan, according to the provincial tourism bureau.

"Among the world heritage sites, Dujiangyan-Qingcheng Mountain and the Wolong National Natural Reserve were just partly damaged. The Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong scenic spots, Ermei Mountain and the Leshan Giant Buddha suffered no damage in the earthquake," said Zhang Gu, the bureau head.

Of more than 4,000 scenic areas in Sichuan, 568 were damaged in the earthquake. Losses have been put at 27.84 billion yuan (US$4.03 billion), according to the bureau.  The worst-hit places, including Beichuan County, Tangjiashan, and Hanwang Town in Mianzhu City, were expected to be built into world-class earthquake museums in three years, he said.

Tourism revenue in Sichuan was 121.7 billion yuan in 2007, accounting for 11.6 percent of the province's gross domestic product. More than 400,000 people are working in the industry.

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