A village in the city

Updated: 2014-03-28 06:55

(chinadaily.com.cn)

A concrete wall cuts off an old area from the rest of the city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhenjiang province. On the north side of the wall, there are shopping malls, coffee bars, movie theatres and luxury residential buildings. In contrast, the south side, called Mianbeili, has rows of red brick dilapidated dwellings which used to be dormitories of workers at the Second Cotton Textile Factory in Hangzhou. These buildings are in the same style as other structures built during the period from China’s "Cultural Revolution" (1966-76) to the early years of the country's reform and opening-up.

In Mianbeili, 3,000 local residents expect that one day their residences will be renovated as part of an urban renewal program, but many have already been waiting for a long time for this to happen.

And, though some people regard the old area as a historical part of the city, many local residents do not see it like that.

An old area called Mianbeili, has rows of red brick dilapidated dwellings which used to be dormitories of workers at the Second Cotton Textile Factory in Hangzhou.[Photo/qq.com]

 

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