rural housing project changes landscapes and lives

1、<p>　　Rural Housing Project Changes Landscapes and Lives</p><p>　　XIBAIPO in Hebei Province wasa small village of some 100people, but became a focusof national attention in the1940s. Local farmers were

2、staunch Communist supporters. The rolling TaihangMountains to the west and broad HutuoRiver on its south side provided a naturaldefense for this hard-working community that always nurtured abundant harvests. As the revol

3、utionary strongholdsin Hebei and neighboring provinces converged with the growing league of Communist territories, Xibaipo was selectedto be the</p><p>　　The Last CPC Rural CommandCenter Before National Vict

4、ory </p><p>　　In May 1947 the CPC Central Committee Work Committee moved to Xibaipo from Yan’an. In July it convened anational land conference, which adoptedthe Land Law Outline. Accordingly landreforms were

5、 unfurled in Communistcontrolled areas, over a period of oneyear distributing plots to lOO millionpeasants and consequently winning theirfull support for the People’s LiberationArmy, which immediately saw a big leapin en

6、listment. </p><p>　　Shijiazhuang was liberated on November 19,1947, connecting two liberatedareas-Jin-Cha-Ji, which straddled Hebei, Chahar and Shanxi provinces, andJin-Ji-Lu-Yu, which encompassed partsof Sh

7、anxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henanprovinces. On May 26, 1948 the CPCCentral Committee and the PLA Headquarters, both headed by Mao Zedong,moved to Xibaipo, turning the isolatedhamlet into the new nerve center of theCommunis

8、t forces. </p><p>　　CPC Central Committee offices werehoused in a walled compound of adobehouses, which still stand on the site. Agiant military map hangs in the No.1 Bureau of the Central Military Commissio

9、n.In times of destitution even things likecolor pencils were a luxury, so the cartographers marked the map with red andblue wool strands. The harsh conditionsnever made a dent in the confidenceand zeal of CPC leaders or

10、rank and filemembers. It is in these Spartan officeswith their sparse supplies that the CPCca</p><p>　　In March 1949, when the nationalvictory was in sight, the Second PlenarySession of the Seventh CPC Centr

11、al Committee was held in the dining room of thecompound. Mao Zedong, who chairedthe meeting, made the famous speechcalling on all Party members to remainmodest and prudent, free from arroganceor rashness on the job, and

12、to preservethe merits of plain living and hard work.Later that month the CPC Central Committee and the PLA Headquarters left Xibaipo for Beijing. In October the People’sRepubli</p><p>　　New Look for an Old R

13、ural Town </p><p>　　Today Xibaipo is a town and its hall mark adobe shanties, excepting thoseof historic value, have been replaced byswanky two-story buildings of brick andmortar. A new rural housing projec

14、t hasin recent years put local home construetion under overall community planning,facilitating the operation of utilities andmaking more room for modern agriculture and industries. </p><p>　　In Liangjiagou V

15、illage then Shengping and 4o other families moved intotheir new homes, two-story red-roofedhouses with gray walls, last September.Chen’s is a five-bedroom, 268-squaremeter home, with two sitting rooms, adining room and a

16、 garage. "Solar power,gas, heating and tap water, it is as goodas a city home," bragged Chen. "Pride ofhouse" is well justified for one who formerly lived in an adobe structure wherethe family had to

17、cope with a leaky roofon rainy days, cook in choking smokeover a</p><p>　　The village’s housing project will soonkick off its second stage of construction,which is eagerly anticipated by the localhouseholds

18、still on its long waiting list.In the past the disorderly dispersementof their 85 residences consumed nearly20 hectares of land. In 2005 village cadres proposed to converge househo ldsinto the kind of proximity that woul

19、dmake utility networks possible and significantly improve land use efficiency. </p><p>　　The idea was warmly embraced byvillagers, for the benefits were obvious. Homes built by the owner typicallyenjoyed a l

20、ife span of merely 20 years,while those structured by professionalteams who following strict national/regional codes can stand as long as 70years, meaning they are good for a lifetime, so remarkably economical. </p>

21、;<p>　　The village grants a subsidy of RMB5,000 to every villager moving out oftheir old home. In the case of ChenShengping’s family of five that came toRMB 25,000. His old home was evaluated at RMB 8o,ooo. So he

22、eventually paidonly half of the tag price for his RMB200,000 new honm. </p><p>　　Easy Access to Public Services </p><p>　　China Resources Hope Town is themore ambitious housing project in Xibaip

23、o. On completion this July it willaccommodate the combined 253 households of three villages. The two-storyhouses in this neighborhood will take up15.3 hectares, 8.3 hectares down fromthe land footprint used by their curr

24、enthomes. </p><p>　　Excited over the prospect of movinginto a larger and more decent home, WuZhushan takes a walk to the construetion site everyday to monitor the workprocess. His village of Huojiagou is one

25、of the three to be relocated to the HopeTown. "We will soon find ourselves inbig, clean and well-lighted rooms without kangs (heatable brick beds)," hesaid with a grin. Actually the project willinject quite a f

26、ew long awaited comfortsand conveniences into the daily lives ofits occupants. </p><p>　　The residential area has a hospital,a kindergarten, a police station, a bankoutlet, a farmers’ training center and a

27、farm produce market. All these facilities,homes and public spaces feature energyefficient and environment-friendly designs and materials, with high resistanceto earthquakes and potent methods ofheat preservation. A bioga

28、s pool willsupply local kitchens with methane fuel.Unlike conventional pits of this kind, thisone is designed to lie beneath a vegetablegreenhouse, which saves la</p><p>　　"Tap water, cooking gas, a sch

29、ool forkids, doctors stationed within the village, and paved roads to every doorway: Icannot ask for more," said Wn Zhushan.The view of village authorities is that newrural housing projects are a significantstep in

30、optimizing resources and extending public services to the backward, longneglected countryside. Wang Pingdong,deputy chief of Xibaipo Town, reflects,"When rural communities are dispersed,the government allotment for

31、them isspread too thin, sprinkled over t</p><p>　　Give One Fish or Teach One Fishing </p><p>　　"In the past all the roads in the village were rocky dirt paths that defeatedall motor vehicle

32、s. The wheelbarrow wasthe only means to move cargo," recalledChen Shengping. "Now eight-meter-wideblacktop is being laid. We will soon seecars coming to our doors." </p><p>　　The new rural hou

33、sing projects underway are designed to improve both the living conditions and incomes of farmers,both critical elements of "the good life"that motivates China’s urban expansioninto the countryvside. In China Re

34、sourcesHope Town the best of both worlds is thegoal; sections are reserved for organicand biological farming while traditionalplantations are also preserved. TheStage-I project includes a 5.5-hectareapple orchard, a chic

35、ken farm and a pigfarm. </p><p>　　"The chicken farm has a breeding baseand a feed center. Formerly local ehickeufarms had to buy chicks in Beijing or other cities. The long journey hiked both thecost an

36、d fatality rate. Now farmers can’buy local’. The feed center supplies themnot only with highly nutritious productsbut also professional consultations, helping villagers to raise prime-quality fowlseconomically and effect

37、ively," said SongYibo, deputy general manager of theHope Town project. </p><p>　　In partnership with the AgriculturalUniversity of Hebei, the China Resources Group conducted a soil test inHope Town, and

38、 picked an apple varietythat fit the local environment. The company entered into contracts with localfarmers, offered technical support tothose who would grow this apple, andpromised to purchase the yields whenthe trees

39、began to bear fruit. So far generous portions of the surrouuding landhave been planted with apple seedlings."This variety is sweet, high-yielding,and decently </p><p>　　"In the beginning the compan

40、ymakes an investment designed tolaunch the program. When the startupenters the operational phase, this business model will bring about profoundchanges to community life around it,"claims Song Yibo. "It is a fnn