第30章 View from the villages(6)

Residents in Damaigou said women’s federation officials have not visited the villageonce and that their statistics were collected through village heads. An official who gave hersurname as Cao with Pingliang Women’s Federation admitted the organization did not dothe surveys but went on to complain that many villages immediately threw away brochureson agricultural sciences and healthcare as soon as they were handed them during monthlypromotions run by the federation.

“Maybe our thinking is outdated but they are too short-sighted because they thinkour brochures are of no use,” said Cao. “Actually, it takes us a lot of work to prepare theselearning materials.”

Jiang argued that communities should also learn to help themselves - “They couldhelp each other out in the fields at harvest times” - and said the problem could be easedby small bank loans designed to help “work widows” start their own businesses.

“A greater number of kindergartens to help with looking after their children wouldalso help. Usually there are only one or two kindergartens in a county and they are openonly to local officials,” she said.

Despite the problems that still exist, China has seen slow but major progress in theprotection of women’s rights, said Jiang.

“Once I suggested to an official to set up more kindergartens to take the burden offwomen and he said this kind of problem was a ‘chick’s trifle’,”she said. “I don’t think you’d hearanyone say that today. Officials have realized that ‘trifles’ can turn into serious social problems.”

March 8, 2010

From land to luxury

Fears as farmers spend compensation cash on luxury goods.

Li Jing reports from Harbin.

When Liu Jinshan signed on the dotted line to hand over his home and land to thegovernment in July 2009, the compensation deal made him a multi-millionaireovernight.

With 2.4 million yuan (350,000) in the bank, the 67-year-old farmer immediatelysplashed out on a car, two apartments and a shop in a new residential area in his nativeHarbin, capital of Heilongjiang province.

“The apartments are for my son and one of my three daughters, and have already costme about 1 million yuan,” said Liu, whose windfall was eyed enviously by his neighbors inHongxing village. “I still have another two daughters to look after and I have to be fair tothem.”

Liu is among an emerging group in China: Nouveau riche farmers, who becomewealthy after receiving large sums of cash from either governments or property developersas a result of the country’s rapid urbanization.

But quick fortunes can also bring a heavy burden: What to do with the money?

The Harbin media reported that some people in Hongxing indulged in spendingsprees for cars, luxury clothes and jewelry after receiving their compensation.

Some even went broke after losing most of their cash gambling.

Although villagers say these were rare and extreme cases, they admitted theconsiderable compensation has dramatically boosted consumption.

Many have already purchased cars - usually moderate family cars but some gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles can also be spotted in this shabby and dusty village.

Residents of Hongxing began greenhouse vegetable planting in 1996. Thanks to theshort distance to the urban area, as well as a growing demand for fresh vegetables, thevillage became an important production base for Harbin, according to Liu Shilin, thevillage’s Party secretary.

“The business has been profitable in the recent years, therefore our villagers are muchbetter off than average farmers in Harbin,” he said.

The annual per capita income of Hongxing is 8,000 yuan, according to one localnewspaper report. The national average in 2009 was about 5,000 yuan.

According to Harbin’s urban expansion plan, the government will requisition all 3,600mu (240 hectares) of farmland in Hongxing to build a new railway station. One-third ofthe village has already been acquired, with the rest to follow over the next two years.

Compensation differs and depends on the types of vegetable a farmer grows, theirplanting methods and revenues. However, on average, each mu of farmland is expected tofetch 300,000 yuan, villagers told China Daily.

The government will also reimburse residents for their houses, which will also bedemolished.

Some said they believe the compensation plan is generous, like Yang Feng, who isexpecting his family’s 5 mu of land to be requisitioned.

“The government has already measured my house, which is around 200 square meters,and we’re expected to move into an apartment building that is planned to be built not farfrom here,” said the 70-year-old.

“The government’s policies have become more favorable to farmers in recent years andwe’re living a better life now,” said Yang, the former village head.

Yang, who lives with his son, daughter-in-law, and 18-year-old grandson, makes acomfortable living from his family-run supermarket and a small fertilizer plant. They rentout their land to others.

Uncertain future

However, not everyone agrees with Yang, and some of his neighbors with moremoderate incomes are worried that taking the land away from them is like cutting off theirlast thread of security.

“(The compensation) sounds like a lot but actually, on average, each person owns only1.5 mu of land, at most 2 mu,” said Xu Jianzhong, 40.

Despite his concern, Xu actually stands to receive a hefty amount in compensation.

He earns about 80,000 yuan a year from growing vegetables on 5 mu of farmland, whichhe owns along with his mother and his wife. The family also runs a small grocery store,which adds another 20,000 yuan to their annual income.

“The ownership of the land will expire in another 16 years if not for the landacquisition, so that makes life a lot easier for me.”

Under Chinese law, farmland is collectively owned, with small plots allocated to farmerson long-term leases.