Beijing Builds Walls In Front Of "Unsightly" Businesses, Homes

BEIJING -- Tourists leaving the west gate of the Temple of Heaven next month will probably not notice Song Wei's home across the street. Nor are spectators along the Olympic marathon route likely to stop by Sun Ruonan's restaurant nearby.

Mr. Song and Ms. Sun live along Beijing's central axis in neighborhoods that have been gutted to make the city look clean and orderly for the Olympics. Both have held on despite pressure to move. They will spend the Olympics behind walls or screens erected to keep their property out of public view.

A veil of green plastic netting now covers Ms. Sun's restaurant. Mr. Song's house and several shops that he rents to migrant families were surrounded by a 10-foot-tall brick wall last week, part of a last-minute beautification campaign. The authorities deemed his little block of commerce an eyesore.

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Comments

[fact finder]

Seems to me that it would be more productive to beautify and in the process help the poor than to cover it up and not treat the symptom. Sort of like putting a band aid on a puss filled wound rather than medicating it and curing the problem.

[FogBelter]

Imelda Marcos did the same thing during her Manila Beautification Project ... built walls around the slums.

[Stephen]

Salt Lake City put up miles of concrete walls between Interstate 80 and the "less affluent" neighborhoods in the lead-up to their Winter Olympics. Everybody does it-tries to put the best gloss on the local blight. The sound barriers are usually welcome.

[murdertrain]

No disrespect, but Beijing is no Salt Lake. In SLC, you might see some dilapidated houses, dead cars and tall weeds. In Beijing, you might see people living out of cardboard boxes (if they are lucky). A more dire contrast between poverty and affluence has not been equaled save places like Mexico City.

[Skepticat]

Montreal back in 1967 installed several fences to obscure views of deteriorating tenement row housing near some of the approaches to the expo 67 site. Fortunately several locals spray painted the fences with "visitez les slums" and other signage.

[Bobleblah1]

Thank God China does not run the world (yet)
I cant imagine a more irresponsible super power, and that has nothing to do with this article.
China's overall behavior is really disturbing. We live in a terrible and wicked time and there will surely be no vacancies in hell.

[EvilCartman]

Your in HELL now. Or as Madge says on the old Palmolive commercial "Your soaking in it"

[EyesWideOpen]

Beijing as a Potemkin Village:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potemkin_village

[stepintothelight]

You beat me to it!!!

[SouthJerseySteve]

Hmmm.... not very surprised to read this story? Anyone else "shocked"? (end sarcasm)

[RightWingMarine]

I've seen the future, and it works!

I wonder if Steffens ever looked behind the walls in the Soviet Union before he said that?

[monty]

This is what the Chinese are good at: Covering up or hiding the problem, rather than addressing it and fixing it. Then they will outright lie about the reality of things.

[ugmold]

We are getting very good at it ourselves...the future

[ZimboChick]

sounds like the good ole US of A

[EvilCartman]

Enron ?

[JScott]

per the pic and then they build a tower and offer helicopter rides so you can see over it?

[Diogenis]

Kinda reminds me how my ex used to clean house when company came. Don't open a closet or drawer..or check under the beds.