From ugly sister to a Cinderella village
Print Edition
Few Hangnan Village residents would like to invite relatives to their homes because the village was so shabby. That changed under the “Beautiful Countryside” initiative.
“The lanes were covered with trash,” said a village surnamed Lu. “We had to go to restaurants outside the area if we wanted to have dinner with guests.”
Today, the village is a picture of a beauty and clean living. The program aims to overhaul 76 villages in Minhang. About half have been completed.
“The environment wasn’t the biggest headache,” said Xu Xindi, Party secretary of Hangnan. “Group renting was. Houses here used to hold 10 to 20 tenants. Landlords refused to cooperate because they didn’t want to suffer a loss of income.”
He went on to explain: “We tackled the problem by pointing out to landlords that improving the environment would allow them to charge higher rents from fewer tenants, so their incomes wouldn’t change. The strategy worked.”
There was a time when Hangnan lost 90 bicycles and mopeds in three months. After the renovation, villagers said they don’t need guard dogs anymore.
Xu said residents were consulted on each stage of the renovation to keep them on board. Illegal structures were torn down, and public land was turned into playgrounds.
A management services team has been established to oversee the village and improve the lifestyle of residents.
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