When visiting the suburban villages of Jiading District, lanes of old houses are an attractive tourist spot that is embodied in the unique water-town scenery.
But if people step near enough to the houses, they will notice bare rooms and swarming flies.
Mostly built in 1970s and 1980s, many old houses in the district's northern area leak and lack modern sanitary facilities.
To improve the living conditions of those who make the area home and to develop Jiading's northern area, which is called "the district's Siberia" by some Chinese press, the district built a villa zone covering 1.8 square kilometers for its 3,842 northern residents to relocate.
Each family moved was given a district subsidy of about 400,000 yuan (US$48,193) on average to buy and decorate a house in the Hailun villa area. Each of houses is 177 square meters on average and has a sitting room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one kitchen.
"I never thought I would live in the district's downtown though I always dreamed to live there," Li Jianlin wrote in a brochure named "Happy Hailun People." Li, who used to live in Yuhua Village, is one of 3,842 people living in the northern part of the district.
Besides the broader and brighter rooms, residents can also enjoy more sanitary facilities with running water and a lavatory.
Suburban villagers used to drink well water. And their old houses usually had no toilets.
"The villas are not temporary saviors to shelter the relocatees, we built them for the residents' long-term living," said Sun Yuxia, a government official from the district's industrial zone.
Since residents are expected to live in the villas for at least 10 years, they were all built with a garage in the expectation many residents will own their own cars in the future.
Shopping malls and a cultural center are expected to be set up around the block. And the cultural center, planned to feature a multimedia hall, a library, an Internet bar and a piano room, will be opened for free.
"We need to build something to enrich the relocatees' spare time," said Sun.
The district will not only build houses to entertain the residents but also help them change the way they live.
Brochures have been handed out and meetings have been held to persuade residents to give up their insanitary habits, like digging wells and drinking water from them, and throwing garbage away improperly.
"We equipped every house with tap water and a security system, meanwhile, we will add more green to the block," said Sun.
The residents have also seen their government subsidies change. Women over the age of 55 and men over 60 will get 380 yuan more a month in subsidies. In the past, they all earned 60 yuan a month.
The district will also provide 290 yuan each month for anyone over the age of 16 who is unemployed and also help them find new jobs.
(Shanghai Daily January 10, 2005)
