County official removed from post over statue controversy

The director of Lushan county's housing and urban-rural development bureau has been removed from his post following questions and criticism over a 7.15-million-yuan ($981,000) statue in the city of Pingdingshan, Henan province.

Based on the classic romantic Chinese folk tale, The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid statue, which depicts the meeting of the cowherd and the weaving maid on a bridge made of magpies, was unveiled on Aug 22 — Qixi Festival — also known as Chinese Valentine's Day.

The statue was unveiled in Lushan as it is believed to be the birthplace of the story.

Questions began to arise shortly after the public caught sight of the statue, with many questioning its cost and similarities in its design when compared to another statue in Changsha, Hunan province, that was unveiled in 2021.

Other questions have been raised with regard to the initial bidding process, with some calling into question its transparency and how thorough it may have been.

In a bidding paper on the website for Chinese government procurement, run by the Ministry of Finance, it said the bidding began on June 14 and evaluation of the bids was on July 6. The result of the evaluation came out the same day.

The local government's response to the questions was at first abrasive, with one official brushing them off and reacting angrily.

However, as public pressure mounted, the chief in charge of the project and another official at Lushan's housing and urban-rural development bureau were removed from their posts.

An investigation group was formed by the local government on Tuesday and a full investigation on the project's design, cost and bidding process will be carried out, a notice from the group said.

Lushan county was only lifted out of poverty in 2020, and frivolous and costly public expenditure projects have not gone down well with some members of the public.