BEIJING, Oct. 18-- Tens of thousands of tourists flocked to the small city of Zhangjiajie during the National Day holiday as the"golden week" gave people an opportunity to get out and enjoy the area's picturesque countryside.

Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and souvenir stalls bustled with activity. Cars, buses, tractors and motorcycles were nose-to-tail on virtually every street of the city in Central China's Hunan Province.

What tourists did not see was any real evidence of the culture of the Tujia minority, whose people make up 77 per cent of Zhangjiajie's population.

Li Junsheng, a local painter, believes tourism is tarnishing the city's unique culture.

The modern buildings going up in the city, says local government spokesman Guo Tiejun, are there to meet the needs of the growing number of tourists.

"They cannot accept shabby houses, the city was built to cater to the demands of tourism."

The question is, is tourism revitalizing the city or destroying its intrinsic cultural fabric?

Culture all but lost

Nestling under blue skies dotted with cotton wool clouds, Zhangjiajie's unique mountainous countryside is covered by forests. Fresh air breezes around the crags as birds call out from the green trees. Waterfalls tumble from the dells and trickle down the cliffs.

Unsurprisingly, the area is a huge draw for tourists wanting to get back to nature. Ancient Tujia towns nearby Zhangjiajie are another popular attraction.

It is this combination of magnificent scenery and fascinating culture that painter Li, 42, loves so much.

Zhangjiajie was quiet and beautiful when he was young, he remembers. Diaojiaolou, Tujia folk houses, built of wood and stones, were just like those described in Shen Congwen's classic novel"Biancheng(Remote Town)."

"Now they have disappeared without trace," Li says regretfully."In the view of an artist, I think the new city has done great damage to the area's natural beauty and to Tujia folk culture."

Li Zhe, a local tour guide, says that aside from a few guides like himself who have learned about Tujia traditions and history as part of professional training, few residents, many of them ethnic Tujias themselves, know anything about their culture. Hardly any young Tujias, she says, learn to speak their native language.

Traditional costume has been almost completely abandoned by the city's residents. Waiters and waitresses in tourist restaurants are the only obvious wearers of ethnic dress. Most people living in the city opt for modern shirts, jackets, jeans or suits. There is little sign of any genuine Tujia culture.

When asked how Tujia people cook their meals, a waitress simply replies:"Electric cooker."

There are places in the neighbouring Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture that have preserved their folk culture much better, says Deng Xiaoxia, who was born in Xiangxi but now works in Beijing. Her grandmother's village has stayed the same for decades, she says.

"For me, I like those wooden houses," Deng said."They are cool in summer and very convenient. Just seeing them makes me feel nostalgic."