Beijing's north community reflects growth problems
- By Li Jingrong
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 14, 2015
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Snack stalls gather around the Tiantongyuan community. [Photo/ Southern People's Weekly] |
Wu moved out of Tiantongyuan in June 2012 when he got a new job that boosted his monthly salary to 8,000 yuan.
The lack of schools in the area has also quickened resident turnover.
Ms. Li, a Beijing native, complained about the lack of good schools in the community. "There's a Tiantongyuan primary school, but few people want to send their kids there. The whole city faces this problem, but it is particularly prominent in this area."
For many people, the area is limited to a place where they come to eat and sleep.
Security is also an issue concerned. There was no police station in Tiantongyuan until August 2007, despite the fact that the population has drastically increased over the past decade. Local gangs actively collect "protection fees" from small shop owners and those with small carts and booths.
Ding Qi, a man from north China's Inner Mongolia, has operated a small restaurant in Tiantongyuan since he first came to the area in 2003. He said that many of his relatives have worked and lived in the area, selling garments, groceries and daily necessities.
Ding reported that security and community management fall far short of his expectations. He has had to pay a five-yuan "protection fee" to gangsters every day to avoid troubles.
Problems need to be carefully addressed
The development of Tiantongyuan reflects the problems that are constantly emerging from Beijing's rapid development.
Zhang Yan, a professor of human geography at Beijing Union University, has spent years studying the development of Tiantongyuan.
"Population flow will have much impact on the future quality of Tiantongyuan. If it cannot attract a comparatively stable and middle-class group of people, the quality of the community will fall into a vicious cycle," Zhang asserted.
She said, "With the completion of the housing projects, the developers have lost interest in convenience for residents, and corresponding public facilities are not in place."
She also believes that community management in Tiantongyuan is out of control, resulting in residents' lack of a strong sense of community.
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