Focus

Care boss starting again in the City of Angels

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-30 07:49

Zhang Minsheng is planning to start a care home in Los Angeles with the 10 million yuan in compensation he received from the township government. Yong Kai / China Daily

This time last year, Zhang Minsheng was begrudgingly saying farewell to the Shanghai care home he had run for 17 years. After a fierce two-year battle with authorities to prevent his business from being demolished, he received 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in compensation for a property he said was worth three times as much.

At the time, he admitted he felt "hopeless". Yet, today the 62-year-old is looking to start again - in Los Angeles. Zhang is planning to sign a final contract for a 200-bed property in the Californian city at the end of this month.

"Hopefully, it will be open for business next October," he said, before estimating that at least half of the tenants will be Chinese.

"As many Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles are from Shanghai, I'll be able to greet them in my Shanghai dialect," he added.

With this in mind, Zhang also plans to take 10 qualified nurses from Shanghai with him, which he believes will help his care home stand out, in terms of quality and price.

"I'm optimistic about the future now," said Zhang, whose bitterness over the demolition of his old property seems to have eased.

"I'll be inviting some of the residents from my old care home (in Shanghai) to visit me in the US."

Forced relocation has been a hot topic in 2010, with clashes between residents and authorities making headlines nationwide. The central government is now drafting a law to better protect homeowners' rights.

When Zhang opened his Shanghai care home in 1993, he signed a 30-year lease. However, as land prices soared thanks to the fast economic development, the township government of Pengpu in Zhabei district decided in 2007 to break the contract and redevelop the land.

Unhappy with the compensation on offer, Zhang took the authority to court but lost, forcing him and more than 300 elderly residents to relocate to a new home in Jiading district. He is still waiting for his license to be approved.

In the meantime, he has been looking at other opportunities, visiting properties across China and US, including San Francisco, Chicago and Hawaii.

He explained that the care home in Los Angeles was put on the market after its former owner stopped paying the mortgage.

"It's a good deal," added Zhang.

Cao Li

To read the original story, visit: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-03/09/content_9557276.htm