“Make a Calm and Careful Calculation”
In common law countries, when a local government wants to clear away a house or neighbourhood for large-scale development, it need only expropriate the property, toss its owner some compensation and call it a day. That sort of thing has been more difficult in China, which shored up private property rights in 2007, making it harder for the government to simply evict people from their homes. But that doesn’t stop it from engaging in more creative means to an end.
Not long ago, a friend forwarded me this video posted on Danwei, a site that covers Chinese media and urban life. It was apparently shot last October in Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern Liaoning province, in a neighbourhood that is slowly being cleared away for new development. In order to pressure the remaining residents to accept compensation for their homes, a 24/7 loudspeaker blasts propaganda reminding them of all the reasons why they should take the money and go.
Tags: Redevelopment, Shenyang
