<em>ChuTian Metropolis Daily</em>
22 November, 2011
A man climbs a high-voltage electricity tower in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Shaofeng Xu
Shaofeng Xu was born in Tibet, in 1978, and first studied civil engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in Hubei province, China, before changing course to ...
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
A man climbs a high-voltage electricity tower in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. He was drawing attention to the fact that he had not been paid any compensation by the local government for the demolition of his house. A large proportion of 100,000 or so public protests that take place in China each year originate in anger at compulsory evictions, and slow payment of compensation. Some involve dramatic acts, including self-immolation and suicide. China’s booming economy has led to soaring real-estate prices. In the absence of property tax, local governments have been selling or developing land to raise money. In Chengdu, some 30 percent of the city budget comes from land sales. Few cities yet have any regulations in place to check malpractice or corruption.
