Olympic winners and losers
Updated on 02 August 2007
Lindsey Hilsum writes on China's determined preparation for the Beijing Olympics in what has been dubbed as the "Year of Demolition and Relocation."
Re-development ahead of Beijing 2008 is forcing tens of thousands from their homes.
Next year will be Olympic Year in Qingdao, the pleasant coastal city south-east of Beijing where the sailing competitions will be held. In preparation, the city authorities have anointed 2007 the "Year of Demolition and Relocation".
Like most Chinese cities, Qingdao has swallowed what used to be rural villages, the authorities requisitioning the farming land surrounding the houses. The residents of Cuobu Ling are typical - first they were farmers, then they worked for state-owned companies, then many were laid off. Only a few found new jobs, while others live on small retirement pensions; they are the losers in China's rush for modernity.
Cuobu Ling and the neighbouring village Xi Wujia were slated for redevelopment last year. The developers arrived brandishing a piece of paper dictating terms: the villagers would have to leave their homes by April. On completion of the high-rises (expected to take two years) they were to be given a flat of exactly the same size as their current house.
They would not be compensated for the courtyard - the largest part of a traditional Chinese house. If they had nowhere to go in the interim they would be given money for rent, but it would be deducted from their compensation. The villagers, realising many would become destitute, tried to negotiate a better deal, but the district government was clear: take it or leave it.
"They forced open our house and dragged me and my family out."- Wang Shou Jia, 59
Some accepted their fate, picked up their belongings, and went to stay with relatives, but a few dozen families stayed on, determined to resist. First the electricity was cut, then the water. When they still refused to move, their houses were demolished around them. Wang Shou Jia, aged 59, said: "On 20 July, hundreds of thugs surrounded my house without any official documents. They came with bulldozers, fire trucks and police vehicles. They forced open our house and dragged me and my family out."
Wang and his neighbours planted a Chinese flag on the top of the mound of rubble that had been his home, and erected a banner reading: "Give us our homes back. The government and developers are in cahoots."
By the time we met Wang on 27 July, he was in hospital, his head and arm bandaged. Liu Ren Zong, aged 63, was in the next bed, with similar injuries. Amateur footage corroborates their story that the previous day a busload of thugs came with sticks and other crude weapons. In Chinese land disputes it is not uncommon for developers, backed by local government, to hire thugs to attack those refusing to move.
"Money buys power," said Liu, who used to work in the legal department of the local government. "Power buys laws. The police take part in the forced demolition. The government gives direct commands. It's all about profits."
The district government demolition office, a shabby building near the demolished villages, was guarded by two enormous, snarling dogs. We opened the door and peered through thick, choking smog - a dozen men were sitting on broken plastic sofas and tattered iron chairs smoking and chatting. They said they worked for the developers, but villagers later told us that government officials were also among the group.
The man in charge, who did not give his name, smelt strongly of liquor. His hands trembled. He explained the government had said it was OK to force the villagers out so therefore it was legal. They were following orders. "Once there is a ruling from the government, they have no choice," he said. "The negotiation is for them to accept our terms. We never compromise."
We went on to the district government office, where we were ushered into a huge conference room where more than a dozen officials sat behind desks with microphones. Funing Jia, the deputy governor, told us that the villagers had "spread untruthful information and caused a bad impact, so the government decided to order a forced eviction". He said the police were investigating the alleged beatings.
Qingdao's 18 redevelopment projects are part of a general plan to improve the city before the Olympic games. According to the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, by next August 1.5 million Chinese will have been displaced in Beijing alone.
The scale of displacement has doubled since the capital was elected as a host city and, while many Chinese are happy to move if given adequate compensation, tens of thousands have been subject to forced eviction.
Qingdao, with its sandy beaches and famous beer, will undoubtedly be a great draw during next August's games.
"The Olympics will be good for the development of the city," said one of the villagers, "but it won't do anything for us."
Lindsey Hilsum is China correspondent for Channel 4 News. This article first appeared in The New Statesman
