Rapid Urbanization Demolishes Traditional Chinese Ways of Life
Over the last three decades, China has demonstrated its strength as a nation with a booming economy and rapid urbanization, but this has come with costs. China’s urbanization efforts have resulted in the destruction of ancient Chinese historic sites and communities and forced the relocation of millions into cities. The government has many reasons to urbanize; they want to stimulate the Chinese economy, increase energy production, and modernize across the board. However, the long-term economic benefits of rapid urbanization do not justify disruption of Chinese lives and culture.
The Chinese government is planning to move about 250 million people into cities by 2025, hoping to use this new urban population to increase domestic economic growth. However, the huge influx of Chinese people moving into cities, combined with an already existing mobile population of 155 million people, requires additional infrastructure. Even if the government were able to provide sufficient housing for new urbanites, many municipal governments lack the funds to provide adequate amenities and job opportunities.
Shoddy housing and grim job prospects mean that the forced relocation of rural people for the sake of development is not always positive. Lin Jiaqing, a former farmer living in Qiyan, explained that his monthly electric bill used to be 10RMB, but in the city it rose to 670RMB. Price increases alone make electricity a luxury many cannot afford. In addition, since rural populations do not have access to quality education they are often unable to compete in the job market. Without jobs and infrastructure the movement of rural residents into cities has unclear long-term economic benefits, and threatens to create an urban underclass in Chinese cities.
In addition to forced relocation, the Chinese government has attempted to modernize by destroying older parts of cities to make room for new, more fashionable structures. This is exemplified in the Beijing hutongs, where the government has been destroying communities for years. In the middle of the twentieth century, Beijing had over 3,000 hutongs; now, estimates say just 500 remain. In the 1990’s, at the height of Beijing’s modernization, about 600 hutongs were destroyed per year. The destruction of hutongs displaces Chinese people and destroys a unique part of Chinese culture. Many hutongs have been passed down for generations. Some date back as early as the Ming Dynasty. The Chinese government may currently look at the hutongs as wasted space, but they may not be thinking through the economic benefits of preserving this aspect of Beijing culture. With a little investment, the hutongs could easily generate revenue as tourist attractions. It seems incredible that the government cannot find another place to build rather than destroying historical relics.
Rapid urbanization in China has laid bare the government’s lack of foresight. Careless decisions have ultimately caused more social harm than long-term economic benefits. In the future, let’s hope that the Chinese government spends a little bit more time looking at the long-term effects of development.
