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Fenghuang Bridge Disaster
posted Wednesday, 15 August 2007
This is not Liuzhou related, but I am saddened to hear of the bridge collapse in Fenghuang, Hunan. I lived in Hunan from 1997 to 1999, not far from Fenghuang and visited often. Western Hunan (Xiangxi) is a beautiful part of China, home to many people of the Miao and Tujia minorities and until recently, well off the tourist trail. Even today, it sees few foreign tourists but is becoming much more of an attraction to Chinese tourists. Which is why they were building the bridge.Fenghuang means “phoenix” and the town itself is full of character. The town is ancient and retains much of the old architecture which is being pulled down all over China. By the riverside, there are still a number of stilt houses where it is possible to stay. There is a short video here.
It was also home to Chinese writer Shen Congwen
(1902-1988) who, in his novels and short stories, describes the town and surrounding area as it was in his youth. Many of these have been translated into English. His home is preserved as in his day and is a museum. It is also the birthplace of renowned Chinese artist, Huang Yongyu.
(1902-1988) who, in his novels and short stories, describes the town and surrounding area as it was in his youth. Many of these have been translated into English. His home is preserved as in his day and is a museum. It is also the birthplace of renowned Chinese artist, Huang Yongyu. Unfortunately, it looks as if greed has once again come to disaster. So often, construction is shoddy, cheaper materials are substituted allowing funds to be skimmed off, safety standards are minimal and workers poorly trained, if at all. A few years ago, a section of one of Liuzhou’s bridges collapsed killing several people. Again, poor workmanship and substituted materals were blamed. The boss of the construction turned out to be the then mayor's brother.
The Chinese television report on the Fenghuang collapse can be seen here. The BBC's report can be seen here.