Beichuan 北川; Běichuān is an ancient town in Sichuan.
Beichuan had the misfortune not only to be very close to the epicenter of the earthquake on May 12, 2008, but also in the path of a massive landslide on September 24, which buried parts of the city under several stories worth of mud. After the earthquake, the government decided that Beichuan would never be rebuilt, or even excavated, but would remain in its current state as a memorial. In December 2008, it opened to tourists. While most of the city is closed off, there are a couple of areas for viewing the damage and paying respect.
