CHENGDU, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Jiuzhai Valley, famed for its spectacular waterfalls, lush forests, serene plateau lakes and karst rock formations in the mountainous areas of southwest China's Sichuan province, reopened fully Tuesday.

Photo: VCG

A ceremony was held to completely reopen the UNESCO world heritage site which underwent over three years of post-quake restoration. Nearly 7,200 tourists visited the site, also known as the Jiuzhaigou National Park, on Tuesday, the site's administration said.

On Aug. 8, 2017, a 7.0-magnitude quake jolted the area and caused damage to part of Jiuzhai Valley, forcing the park to close. Restoration work began in November 2017. Part of its scenic areas reopened to tourists in March 2018.

The quality of the scenery at Jiuzhai Valley has been restored to pre-earthquake levels, and infrastructure at the site has improved, said Yan Sashuang, deputy head of the provincial culture and tourism department.

The restoration cost 4.5 billion yuan (about 697.1 million U.S dollars), according to Jiuzhaigou County.

More than 270,000 trees have been planted over the past three years, and 172 hectares of ecological habitat repaired and restored in Jiuzhai Valley. The damaged mountains and vegetation have also recovered rapidly. The ecosystem was effectively restored, added the administration.

"Every time I come here, I'm amazed by the beauty of the scenery, landforms, waterfalls, forests and sky," said German tourist Guido Brettschneider.