Bird's eye view of Yangji Village (Guangzhou Daily)
The urban redevelopment of Yangji village ( ) in Guangzhou will begin in June. With 1,300 houses expected to be demolished by the end of July, the government hopes to encourage villagers to move out as soon as possible by awarding them an extra 10,000 yuan and a better choice of houses to relocate to.
The redevelopment should take three years and most villagers will be able to return upon completion. According to Hu Yaoqiang, the director of the Land Resources and Housing Management Bureau (Yuexiu district), the whole operation should cost about 2 billion yuan. It shall be Liede village ( ) which shall be taken as model for the reconstruction work aiming to develop both residential and commercial areas.
Life as usual before the demolition (Guangzhou Daily)
There are 52 villages in downtown Guangzhou which are scheduled to be destroyed. Amongst these, nine should be completed ahead of the Asian Games. Yangji is located at the border between the districts of Tianhe and Yuexiu. Many villagers have lived here for decades, often in shabby houses.
