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Renovation of old neighborhoods in China enhances quality of life
Guan Yang
Eighty-six-year-old retired teacher Chen Jinling from Fushun, Liaoning Province, has been living in the same apartment for 40 years. /CGTN

Eighty-six-year-old retired teacher Chen Jinling from Fushun, Liaoning Province, has been living in the same apartment for 40 years. /CGTN

The transformation of shantytowns has been a priority for the Chinese government in recent years. CGTN explores how living conditions were lifted by the renovation project in the city of Fushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Eighty-six-year-old retired teacher Chen Jinling has been living in the same apartment for 40 years. For many who want to stay where they are as they age, home means beloved neighbors and a place full of memories. Until the renovation project, she had very little choice but to cope with the rundown conditions.

"Cold air was leaking through the windows and doors; Taxi drivers didn't want to come to the area because of the bumpy roads and poor illumination here," she explained, adding that "all the problems have gone away after the renovation project last November."

Until the renovation project, she had very little choice but to cope with the rundown conditions. /CGTN

Until the renovation project, she had very little choice but to cope with the rundown conditions. /CGTN

Across China, thousands of old neighborhoods like Chen's have been renovated. For some locals who simply cannot afford to buy a new house, the happiness brought by the project is a wonderful surprise.

In Chinese culture, home plays various important roles in the hearts of people. But without maintenance, an old house can make life unbearable, especially for a place like Fushun – a coal city with exhausted natural resources. It was among the first batch of Chinese cities to undergo urbanization.

Across China, thousands of old neighborhoods have been renovated. /CGTN

Across China, thousands of old neighborhoods have been renovated. /CGTN

Zhang Rui, secretary of the Yingbin community in Fushun, told CGTN that there were periods of discomfort, but that is all over now.

 "We used to receive many phone calls from the locals who asked when their apartments would be renovated. Since there are many seniors living in the community, they had to endure the long and harsh winters before, but now everything has changed after heat preservation walls were installed," Zhang said.

Zhang Rui (R), secretary of the Yingbin community in Fushun, talks to a CGTN reporter. /CGTN

Zhang Rui (R), secretary of the Yingbin community in Fushun, talks to a CGTN reporter. /CGTN

The country plans to renovate 219,000 old urban residential communities between 2021 and 2025. These are residential areas that might have been built more than two decades ago. Due to poor design standards back then, many of them have problems today.

"We took people's suggestions and demands into consideration at the design stage, such as the layout of underground pipelines and electricity networks. It's estimated that the renovation project for the district is about 700 million yuan ($103.9 million). The investment is shared by the central and local governments. We are making sure every penny can make a difference," Tian Ye, deputy chief of Xinfu district in Fushun, told CGTN.

A house is never just a shelter from wind and rain. Although the economic status differs from region to region in China, people still have the same desire for good, if not better, living conditions.

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