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Bustling Beijing migrant area turns into ghost town

-

The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on outdoor stoves, women hanging clothes to dry and young children playing games.

Now dead leaves litter the pavement as a bitterly cold wind blows through empty lanes after authorities swept through the area in a controversial city-wide eviction campaign.

As the homes were so small  much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been c...
As the homes were so small, much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been closed with concrete and barbed wire
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

It is one of the myriad migrant neighbourhoods in the capital of 23 million people that have been turned into ghost towns as the government shuts down and demolishes illegal or unsafe structures.

The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on out...
The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on outdoor stoves
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month, arguing that they have to clear dangerous buildings after a fire killed 19 people. A blaze in another migrant area killed five people on Wednesday.

Many of the residents were movers
Many of the residents were movers
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The harsh tactics sparked uproar as rural migrants who had been seeking a better life were suddenly given hours to vacate homes in the shivering cold.

When AFP journalists visited Houchang Cun -- "the village behind the factories" -- in the summer, residents in one densely populated section had been warned that evictions were looming.

This is the scene of desolation the reporters found when they recently returned to the single-storey brick homes.

- Taps off -

In August  shirtless men washed vegetables  brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only fa...
In August, shirtless men washed vegetables, brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only facility with running water in the urban "village"
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

In August, shirtless men washed vegetables, brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only facility with running water in the urban "village".

Today, litter is strewn around the empty space under its tin roof.

The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evict...
The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evictions in November
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The tables that people used to place their bowls or toiletries on are gone.

Even the silvery spigots have been ripped off the walls.

- Movers moved -

Zhang Zhanrong  a mother in her early 30s  ran her own moving business
Zhang Zhanrong, a mother in her early 30s, ran her own moving business
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

Many of the residents were movers. Zhang Zhanrong, a mother in her early 30s, ran her own moving business.

She lived in a one-room dwelling with her husband and son. Wearing a blue dress, she served dinner on a small table, next to a bed and tall armoire.

Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month
Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The mattress now rests diagonally against the wall while the makeshift stove which she shared with her neighbour outside their brick homes is gone.

- Sealed doors -

A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home
A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

As the homes were so small, much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been closed with concrete and barbed wire.

A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home.

A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone
A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone.

An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while anoth...
An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while another woman washed clothes in a green plastic bucket
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while another woman washed clothes in a green plastic bucket.

A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic
A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic.

Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway.

A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago
A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago.

The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evictions in November.

- 'No use to protest' -

Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway
Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

One couple remained behind, spending days sitting on blankets on a corrugated metal rooftop.

"There's no heating where we are so it's warmer out here in the sun," the husband said, declining to give his name, on a below-freezing day.

The man plans to leave Beijing after he receives his last paycheque from his job as a maintenance worker.

Many residents hailed from the same hamlet in Pengshui, a mountainous region in southwestern Chongqing province, and relocated to Beijing to work menial labour jobs or to start small businesses.

Evictees said they received no compensation and feel forced to return to a place where they have no way of making a living.

"There is no use to protest," said a woman surnamed Wang. "It will all be gone sooner or later."

The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on outdoor stoves, women hanging clothes to dry and young children playing games.

Now dead leaves litter the pavement as a bitterly cold wind blows through empty lanes after authorities swept through the area in a controversial city-wide eviction campaign.

As the homes were so small  much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been c...

As the homes were so small, much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been closed with concrete and barbed wire
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

It is one of the myriad migrant neighbourhoods in the capital of 23 million people that have been turned into ghost towns as the government shuts down and demolishes illegal or unsafe structures.

The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on out...

The narrow alleyways of the Beijing migrant neighbourhood were once crammed with men cooking on outdoor stoves
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month, arguing that they have to clear dangerous buildings after a fire killed 19 people. A blaze in another migrant area killed five people on Wednesday.

Many of the residents were movers

Many of the residents were movers
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The harsh tactics sparked uproar as rural migrants who had been seeking a better life were suddenly given hours to vacate homes in the shivering cold.

When AFP journalists visited Houchang Cun — “the village behind the factories” — in the summer, residents in one densely populated section had been warned that evictions were looming.

This is the scene of desolation the reporters found when they recently returned to the single-storey brick homes.

– Taps off –

In August  shirtless men washed vegetables  brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only fa...

In August, shirtless men washed vegetables, brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only facility with running water in the urban “village”
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

In August, shirtless men washed vegetables, brushed their teeth or cleaned themselves in the only facility with running water in the urban “village”.

Today, litter is strewn around the empty space under its tin roof.

The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evict...

The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evictions in November
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The tables that people used to place their bowls or toiletries on are gone.

Even the silvery spigots have been ripped off the walls.

– Movers moved –

Zhang Zhanrong  a mother in her early 30s  ran her own moving business

Zhang Zhanrong, a mother in her early 30s, ran her own moving business
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

Many of the residents were movers. Zhang Zhanrong, a mother in her early 30s, ran her own moving business.

She lived in a one-room dwelling with her husband and son. Wearing a blue dress, she served dinner on a small table, next to a bed and tall armoire.

Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month

Authorities stepped up the controversial expulsions last month
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

The mattress now rests diagonally against the wall while the makeshift stove which she shared with her neighbour outside their brick homes is gone.

– Sealed doors –

A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home

A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

As the homes were so small, much of life took place outside in the lanes whose entrances have been closed with concrete and barbed wire.

A large grease stain is left on a brick wall where a woman used to cook meals outside her home.

A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone

A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A poster of Chairman Mao Zedong surrounded by officials that hung on a wooden storage space is gone.

An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while anoth...

An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while another woman washed clothes in a green plastic bucket
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

An abandoned sink lies on the pavement in front of a home where a woman once hung shirts while another woman washed clothes in a green plastic bucket.

A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic

A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A nail remains on a wall where a woman used to hang garlic.

Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway.

A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago

A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

A mop still hangs from a window next to where a man held his baby in his arms months ago.

The green and brown doors are all shut and bear an official white seal with different dates of evictions in November.

– ‘No use to protest’ –

Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway

Purple and flowery sheets are still draped over some entrances in the deserted alleyway
NICOLAS ASFOURI, AFP

One couple remained behind, spending days sitting on blankets on a corrugated metal rooftop.

“There’s no heating where we are so it’s warmer out here in the sun,” the husband said, declining to give his name, on a below-freezing day.

The man plans to leave Beijing after he receives his last paycheque from his job as a maintenance worker.

Many residents hailed from the same hamlet in Pengshui, a mountainous region in southwestern Chongqing province, and relocated to Beijing to work menial labour jobs or to start small businesses.

Evictees said they received no compensation and feel forced to return to a place where they have no way of making a living.

“There is no use to protest,” said a woman surnamed Wang. “It will all be gone sooner or later.”

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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