Liuzhou Weather
Older
images on this blog are hosted by
ImageShack®. Their habit of regularly losing pictures made me move to Photobucket for more recent pictures. Now, Imageshack has been blocked in China, so visitors from China may find many pictures are missing. Sorry. Imagesucks!
.
Where is Liuzhou?
Where are you? Add yourself to my guest map.
Liuzhou Twitter
Danwei Model Worker Award 2008
Minority Stamps
Liuzhou Government Criticised
For some time now, the local government have been planning a move from the city centre to a specially built site in the east of the city. This is to include not only office accommodation, but also riverside homes for the party and government leaders.
There has been some controversy in the past as the land in question was compulsorily ‘purchased' from local farmers, some of whom never received their compensation or received less than they should have.
There has also been dissatisfaction among the local populace. The site is regarded as too expensive and the housing the leaders have built themselves too luxurious. Some houses are valued at over ¥740000 and have an area of 340 m2. This exceeds the figure of 90 - 100 m2 stipulated in the regulations set by national and provincial governments and is generally felt to be verging on corruption and something the city certainly cannot afford.
In a rare development, the national authorities seem to be taking the people's side. Beijing has been highly critical and a scathing article in the party's mouthpiece, The People's Daily, has been picked up and reprinted by regional newspapers all over China (and abroad). The article criticises the local leadership and compares Liuzhou's government to that of the Soviet Union and points out that it was abuse of privilege such as this which led to the downfall of the communist party there.
As one newpaper which carried the story asks, "Have they no shame?" Silly question.
link to the original article (in Chinese). There is no mention of the story on their English language site.
What the article doesn't mention is the deep disatisfaction that they are not only building themselves mansions, but that they have also 'ordered' the top schools and the People's Hospital to move with them so that their pampered offspring don't have to travel too far. As a friend said, "They want to be emperors of the new 'forbidden city'."