Approximately 12,000 people living on a mountain in Jiangxi Province must move to new homes in
order to protect a world heritage site and leave it in the hands of
the aboriginal people.
The relocation of most of the area's residents will occur in
Guling town on Lushan Mountain in Jiujiang. Within three years
they'll be living in new homes in a 2-square-kilometre area of
Fanglan village in Lushan District.
Lushan Mountain is one of 33 world heritage sites in China and
is a popular and traditional summer resort. Guling is at the centre
of this scenic area, at an altitude of 1,167 meters, and surrounded
on three sides by mountains.
In the 10 years since UNESCO added Lushan Mountain to its list
of world heritage sites Guling's population has risen
massively.
"After careful and repeated studies we've decided to move out
officials, cadres and employees leaving the aboriginal residents on
the mountain," Chen Liquan, a town official, told China Daily
yesterday.
Residents who'll be moved are mainly people who work for the
Guling Scenic Area Management Administration, the township
government and the service industries.
"That will be 4,000-plus families with an overall population of
more than 12,000 who require? to move," said Chen. He said
they were the majority of the 14,000 people currently living in the
area. Only about 7,000 were registered to live at the World
Cultural Heritage Site in 1996, Chen added.
"There are just too many people on the mountain which has caused
many problems," local resident Li Haoming told Beijing News last
week. "Sooner or later we'll have to move down."
Chen Jiaying, a tourist guide, told The Beijing News: "It's so
hard to earn a living now as there are so many new competitors
joining in. Even some local officials and workers are losing their
jobs."
Planned with "sound facilities including nice schools, hospitals
and business areas" the new residential area will be more
convenient for residents, said Chen Liquan.
Jiujiang Daily reported at the end of last month that
the Guling Scenic Area Management Administration was planning to
give 800,000 yuan (US$100,000) a year to firms located out of the
area to hire 100 people who had lost their jobs.
"With more people coming in pollution gets worse," Yu Xinhong,
another resident, told The Beijing News. "Take Ruqin Lake for
example. It used to be so clear and clean and we swam in it but now
we don't even dare wash our hands there."
To try to protect the environment and further integrate tourism
resources the Jiujiang city government released a notice entitled :
"A General Programming Outline of the Lushan Mountain Scenic Area
from 2004 to 2020." It said that by 2020 Lushan Mountain would
regain its historical appearance and integrity.
Illegal, worthless and dangerous buildings will be torn down,
the outline said. Original major roads leading to protected areas
and historical sites will be upgraded and cars banned. Some of the
empty houses will be leased to tourists and villas could be turned
into hotels, the document says.
However, some residents had reservations about the move. "If
most of the people, along with the young people, leave the mountain
especially those with sizable incomes Guling town will become an
empty, dead city in the low tourism season," said Guo Xinyi, a
67-year-old resident.
(China Daily September 13, 2006)
