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Straits Times
10-05-2025
- Straits Times
Travelling through China's ‘thousand cities with the same face'
China's cookie-cutter urbanism is a product of its top-down approach to development, where central planning dictates the shape of progress. ST PHOTOS: TAN DAWN WEI, AW CHENG WEI From the brown, dusty Gobi Desert plains of Gansu and the green endless grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the white majestic Himalayan peaks of Tibet a whisker from the heavens, China's landscape is a breathtaking tapestry of natural splendour. I have marvelled at them all up close, setting foot in every province , municipality, autonomous region and special administrative region in China . Those unfamiliar with the country often underestimate the incredible diversity of this land; not just in geography but in history, culture and linguistics. How's this for a slice of cultural trivia: China is home to 56 official ethnic minority groups such as the Zhuang, Hui, Uighurs, Miao and Manchus, and more than 300 living languages. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
New lifts, pipes, cafes: China doubles down on urban upgrades to buck ‘consumption downgrade'
Minzhu Village, which started upgrading works in 2022, is part of a renewed push across China to refresh residential areas in a bid to drive consumption. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI New lifts, pipes, cafes: China doubles down on urban upgrades to buck 'consumption downgrade' - A pink entryway decorated with neon lights, stars and a rainbow greets visitors to Minzhu Village – home to some 8,000 residents in south-western Chongqing municipality. Many visitors drop by the village for affordable meals, cheap haircuts or trendy tea houses and cafes. Lunchtime queues are long, with a wait of up to 20 minutes, as nearby office workers visit the village's canteen for lunch. Such crowds were unthinkable just a few years ago before the village underwent refurbishment, said Mr Huang Chunchu, 65, who grew up in the village built in the 1950s. Mr Huang, who is now retired, told The Straits Times: 'Minzhu Village was shabby and quite lifeless '. Minzhu Village, which started upgrading works in 2022, is part of a renewed push across China to refresh residential areas in a bid to drive consumption in the world's second-largest economy. In Chongqing alone, renovation work started in 2,620 residential compounds in 2024, according to local media reports. Minzhu Village in 2021, before upgrading works. PHOTO: JIULONGPO DISTRICT, XIEJIAWAN SUBDISTRICT, MINZHU VILLAGE COMMUNITY Held up as a success case, Minzhu village hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited Chongqing in April 2024. Mr Huang estimates that 'about a hundred shops, including all the stalls in the wet market, and tea houses, cafes and restaurants have been added to the village'. In China, urban renewal projects have gained new urgency as Beijing makes boosting domestic demand its top priority for 2025 amid the trade war with the United States. But getting people to spend has been a challenge amid a 'consumption downgrade', arising from an expected slowdown in the global economy due to geopolitical tensions. On Jan 4 this year , a meeting of China's top leaders in the State Council, China's Cabinet, presided by Premier Li Qiang, stated that urban renewal 'serves as an important lever for expanding domestic demand'. 'The renovation of old residential communities, blocks, factory areas and urban villages in cities should be accelerated, and renovation of infrastructure should be strengthened,' said a read-out after the meeting. In 2024, China started more than 60,000 urban renewal projects – totalling 2.9 trillion yuan (S$520 billion) – up from the 53,000 initiated in 2023. The upgrades, which can range from updating water pipes and installing lifts to injecting commercial spaces into residential areas, are supposed to be completed within three years. Compared with 2024, the official notice for this year's upgrading included a push to 'strengthen infrastructure for consumers and to increase efforts to boost consumption'. The Finance Ministry said in April that 'priority will be given to mega and super large cities, as well as large cities along key river basins such as the Yellow River and the Pearl River'. Municipalities, along with cities in China's western region, can receive up to 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies for upgrading projects. Those in the central region can get up to one billion yuan – 200 million yuan more than urban areas in the wealthier east. Ms Shan Guo, a partner at business consultancy Hutong Research, said that urban renovation, though mainly led by the government, also draws private investment and boost gross domestic product growth. 'The commercialisation in these renovated areas also helps to create jobs and drive domestic demand,' she added. Held up as a success case, Minzhu Village hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited Chongqing in April 2024. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI One of China's more successful upgrades of an urban village is Guangzhou's Yongqing Square – an arcade street built in 1931 in the capital of Guangdong province. After two rounds of renovations in 2016 and 2019, the street completed works in 2023. Local media reported in 2024 that footfall in Yongqing Square – which features the ancestral residence of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum as well as shops – rose by 12 per cent year on year, with commercial revenue growing by 24 per cent within the same period. At Minzhu Village, the second and final phase of renovations completed in January 2025 included the construction of a new commercial complex measuring 7,500 sq m that houses some 70 shops. Other amenities include barber shops offering five yuan haircuts, a canteen offering meals from seven yuan, a community clinic and a rest stop for delivery riders – complete with charging points, water and brochures on employment rights. At Minzhu Village, the second and final phase of renovations included the construction of a new commercial complex measuring 7,500 sq m that houses some 70 shops. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI Mr Huang, who used to work in the factories in Minzhu Village, said: 'I have all my meals at the canteen. The food there is cheap and nutritious.' He said the changes have 'brought a lot of convenience to my daily life, and helps older people living here not feel so isolated, given the increased traffic flow from visitors and tourists'. Many visitors drop by Minzhu Village for affordable meals, cheap haircuts or trendy tea houses and cafes. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI Artist Zhou Zhengmao, who grew up in Minzhu Village and later studied in Italy, decided to set up a studio in the village to offer art lessons and sell oil paintings as he liked its neighbourly vibes. Mr Zhou, who is in his 30s, said: 'Everyday life inspires art, and that's why being in a neighbourhood is best for my studio.' Jiazhou Gardens is another residential compound in Chongqing that has undergone urban renewal. Jiazhou Gardens is another residential compound in Chongqing that has undergone urban renewal. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI Work to repaint buildings and widen the roads was carried out after a huge fire broke out in 2020 at the compound, an upscale residential area built in the early 1990s and 2000s. Work to repaint buildings and widen the roads was carried out after a huge fire broke out in 2020 at Jiazhou Gardens. ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI Ms Oriole Huang , a resident of Jiazhou Gardens who is in her 30s, opened a cafe there after its refurbishment in 2020. The cafe broke even after just 10 months of operations and attracts both locals and visitors. She said of Jiazhou Gardens: 'The compound is now clean and well-maintained, especially the old trees. That's what made me feel like the area had real potential.' Aw Cheng Wei is The Straits Times' China correspondent, based in Chongqing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
