China’s Wen Jiabao Inspects Slum Areas in Liaoning on Eve of Spring Festival
Text of report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
[Article by staff correspondents Li Bin and Wang Zhenhong: "Let the People Live and Work in Peace and Contentment -Wen Jiabao Visits Liaoning on the Eve of the Spring Festival to Inspect the Rehabilitation of the Slum Dwellers' Areas"]
Shenyang, 17 Feb (XNA) – 16 February is also the 29th day of the 12th month of the Lunar Year. In Fushun of Liaoning Province, the lowest temperature was minus 9 Celsius, and the cold weather continued to bite. However, the residents in the newly rehabilitated slum dwellers’ area in Fushun felt special warmth in their hearts. At they saw off the old and ushered in the new, Wen Jiabao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Council Premier, had come to pay everyone a visit.
Slum areas constitute a special historical legacy in some resource type cities in northeastern China. The dwellings there are almost all dangerous and extremely crowded. The residents have tremendous problems with running water and road access, and the living conditions are very poor. On the eve of 2003, Wen Jiabao had come to Fuxin City in Liaoning Province where he visited poor workers from the mining region. In June of 2003, he again came to Benxi, Fushun and other parts of Liaoning Province to visit the slum dwellers. Subsequently, the State Council made a decision to rehabilitate and convert the slum dwellers’ areas. The Liaoning provincial party committee and provincial government earnestly organized the implementation of this undertaking.
How have the slum areas been rehabilitated? Can the people have a peaceful and joyous Spring Festival celebration? On the afternoon of 16 February, after attending the Spring Festival get-together in Beijing, Wen Jiabao left immediately for Fushun City in Liaoning Province which was the first city to carry out slum rehabilitation and conversion work in the entire country.
Around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, accompanied by Liaoning provincial party committee secretary Li Keqiang and provincial governor Zhang Wenyue, Wen Jiabao came to the Old Town’s new slum rehabilitation area in Wanghua District. Seeing a brand new building in the district, Wen Jiabao was quite delighted. Smiling, he shook hands with the people who surrounded him and exchanged Spring Festival greetings. Entering the home of relocated resident Wang Hongyu, Wen Jiabao held his hands and chatted with him. Wang Hongyu, who moved into his new home more than a year ago, said with great emotions: “Compared to the past, one is heaven and the other is hell.” Wen Jiabao said: “In caring for the people, the first thing is to pay attention to those in the greatest distress. In order to resolve the most direct and more urgent problems of the people, it is necessary to be seen, be touched and be trusted by the people. This was the case in the rehabilitation and conversion of the slum areas.”
Outside the house, the bitterly cold wind blew ferociously; inside the house, spring hang in the air.
Wen Jiabao said to the cadres in his entourage: “Spring festivals are happy occasions for the people, and they are also the days when the cadres should show concern for the people. The cadres should reflect: Who are those who are homeless? Who are without food on their tables?” Before leaving, he walked to the window to check the heater and went to the kitchen to look at the supplies of the family.
In the new home of 74 year-old senior citizen Fei Guirong, Wen Jiabao said: “When I came in 2003, I first visited the Big Pit (opencut coal mining area) and then visited the slum dwellers’ areas. I decided then and there that we had to rehabilitate and convert the slum areas. In 2004, we started with this undertaking. Practical experience over the past two years has proven that once the determination is made, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.” The old man said emotionally to the premier: “Living in the slums in the past was worrisome. The rehabilitation of the slum areas has eased our minds and we are really happy that our lives are improving everyday.”
With the forceful support of the central authorities, Liaoning has carried out a large-scale project to rehabilitate and convert the slum areas. It built more than 6,300 new residential buildings on more than 50,000 square meters of slum dwellers’ areas, enabling more than 1.2 million people to move into the new houses.
At around 3 p.m., Wen Jiabao came to the Shenggong Community in Dongzhou District. The slum dwellings here have already been incorporated into the 2007 slum dwelling rehabilitation and conversion plan of Fushun City. More than 2,000 residents have already signed agreements and will be relocated this year.
In the rundown, low ceiling and narrow house of out-of-work employee Liu Yongjian, Wen Jiabao asked him sincerely when he was moving. The host told the premier: This was a simple house built in 1958. The house often leaks when it rains and has now been included in the slum rehabilitation plan. An agreement has already been signed. As he spoke, he took out an agreement on the transfer of property rights from his shirt pocket. Taking the agreement, Wen Jiabao studied it with great interest and said: “Can you tell me briefly about the contents of the agreement?” Liu Yongjian replied: “I paid 14,000 yuan, and a 28 square meter house can be exchanged for a 50 square meter building apartment.”
“For this kind of apartment, the market price is 60,000 yuan,” the Fushun City leader said.
Wen Jiabao next went to visit 93 year old Wang Huanrong in order to convey his Spring Festival greetings and wish her better days to come.
Modigou is an area with a high density of slum dwellings. In the past, this place was famous for its decrepit houses, dirty environment, and poor law and order situation. As a local saying went: “Daughters should not be married off to Modigou.” Today, after its rehabilitation, 13 neat and beautiful new buildings have risen in Modigou, 885 residents have moved in, along with 22 new brides.
In the house of resident Zhang Yuanzhou, Wen Jiabao said to this 74 year old worker: Since the establishment of the new China, Fushun has delivered 1 billion tonnes of coal to the state and its contributions are tremendous. The state has to help the employees and workers of the old industrial bases resolve their problems. The first step is to resolve the housing problem, followed by resolution of employment problems. It is necessary not only be settled well but also to have a good job. Only when the people are living and working in peace and contentment will there be harmony. Then, seeing the dumpling wrappers and fillings on the table, Wen Jiabao stood up and aid: “It will soon be Lunar New Year. Let me also make some dumplings.”
It was already dusk when Wen Jiabao came to the Jiawang garments factory in Fushun. This is a government-funded company set up exclusively for the unemployed, the out-of-work and households with low social insurance benefits. Wen Jiabao looked intently at the workers sewing up garments. He encouraged the female workers to work hard to improve themselves and engage in arduous struggle. He also expressed hope that the company would grow stronger and bigger and make new contributions in resolving employment problems and triggering local economic development.
After dinner, Wen Jiabao came to the ethylene petrochemical factory of the Fushun Petrochemical Corporation where he shook hands with the workers steadfastly manning their posts and extended holiday greetings to them. He said: “Cities with depleted resources should do a good job with economic restructuring. The state has already approved the construction of the million-tonne ethylene renovation and expansion project for Fushun Petrochemical. This will not only create jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, it is also of tremendous significance to the economic restructuring of Fushun. We should build it into a world class enterprise. This will require first rate equipment, first rate technology, as well as first rate talents and management. It is necessary to attach importance to quality and economic results. Petrochemical companies are highly dangerous and high risk firms and in particular, it is necessary to step up work on workplace safety and environmental protection.”
It was already 9 p.m. when Wen Jiabao bid adieu to the workers. Big red lanterns hanging on both sides of the streets reflect the ample festive atmosphere; in the distance, firecrackers sounds tell everyone: A new spring is about to come.
(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.