Guangyuanli official notices
konjaku: Guangyuanli is the largest shantytown in Beijing Xicheng district which is being renovated, beginning in 2016. See previous post for details.
On the Guangyuanli project website one can read notices issued by the government. According to the “Assessment of the Standard Value for Levied Property” dated 2016-03-19, the government offers in compensation 50923 yuan per square meter (the interior area of the resident’s current home). As far as I can tell, this is the same as the going price for new homes in Xicheng in early 2016. (http://newhouse.fang.com/house/fangjia/%CE%F7%B3%C7/)
By mid 2017, prices had doubled, to 113652 yuan.
With inducement awards and other benefits added, this is a lot of money, although the residents apparently have to spend most of it in purchasing their new home. If one has a small home, measured at 30 square meters, at this rate one would still receive over one-and-a-half million yen.
Alhough most residents accepted this offer, some held out. This notice gives them 24 hours to decide:
A sealed letter to the residents 05-17
Our friends, residents of Guangyuanli,
Today 2016-05-17, is the last day to sign a contract in the Guangyuanli renovation project. Those who have not yet done so, should sign a contract before the next 24 hours is up, agreeing to have their property levied and receive a compensation.
Those who have not yet signed, from tomorrow the great benefit of getting inducement awards will disappear, and the project will proceed according to administrative law. In the end, those who do not move out of their homes shall have the administration of justice carried out upon them.
Among those subject to the levy, the 2228 households of Guangyuanli, at present there remain only some tens of households who have not yet signed. In order to ensure the essential benefits for the almost complete majority who have already signed, after the deadline has passed the command post will with all its strength push forward to enforce the law and the orderly administration of justice. The levy and compensation policy cannot be changed for any reason whatsoever, or for any person whatsoever. The remaining residents should by no means listen to and believe rumors, but hold fast to the real and dependable benefits available for their families, and not let themselves suffer a loss that is unnecessary.
After 24 hours, if there are some who still have not signed, the command post will publish and make public the results of those who have and have not signed. At the same time it will establish a network of inquiry, and we request our friends the residents to take down in notes the relevant information on those households which have not signed a contract. Later, as the legal process gets underway, the inquiries will be revisited, to determine if there was anyone who made false statements which had an effect on their compensation final result, and whether these results exceeded the limits set by the policy.
The compensation result for each and every household will be subject to the scrutiny of the entire body of residents, in a completely transparent manner. If there is anyone who has exceeded the compensation amount called for in the policy, this will be exposed in the light of day.and they will be punished severely according to the law.
Our friends the residents, we ask that you earnestly grasp hold of this opportunity that will enable you to improve your lives, and as quickly as possible, sign a contract with the Resident Working Team. Don’t let go of the benefits that should belong to you, and from simply not signing a contract in time losing everything for no good reason.
Guangyuanli Shantytown Renovation Project Command Post (with seal affixed)
original document:
konjaku: for the Guangyuanli renovation project, the residents’ homes and land are levied by the state. For the project to go forward, they must vacate their homes, which will then be demolished in order to build a new multi-story complex on the site. Their homes are levied –this matter is not subject to their approval. However, the state wants them not to resist, but to sign a contract, which besides bringing them material compensation, indicates their agreement to the process. The tension between the involuntary precondition and the voluntary act of signing is evident in this document. The letter addresses the people of Guangyuanli as “our friends the residents”居民朋友们 in several places. But more often in the body of the letter the same people are referred to as beizhengshouren 被征收人, persons subject to the levy, or just “levied persons.”
The document asks the residents to gather information on their neighbors, to find out about and report on those who are unwilling to sign. If there are some people who have managed to sign for a larger compensation than they deserve, by somehow falsifying the surface area of their home or claiming more family members than they actually have, the command post wants their fellow residents to bring these discrepancies to light.
A sidebar states that 2174 households have signed, and 54 remain. That may be the final result.
Residents who do not sign are told they will have “the administration of justice carried out upon them.” However, they are not being threatened with forcible demolition, at least not right away. The following notice indicates that they can still sign and retain some reduced benefits after the deadline.
Notice
To our friends the residents who have not yet signed,
If you do not sign a contract before the deadline, 2016-05-17 at midnight, you will lose, at the least
170,000 yuan
(based on a provisional award of 10,000 and a house surface area of 30 square meters)
After that, every day you will lose at least
3000 yuan
By 2016-08-25, you will have lost, at the least
470,000 yuan ($71,000)
The above matter is hereby made public.
Guangyuanli Project Command Post (seal)
After the deadline of 2016-05-17, work on the project began, and the area was sealed off. This notice shows that the Command Post was still tolerant of the presence of residents who had not yet signed.
Please note: management of the project area– it is being strictly sealed off
Our friends the residents,
Taking a step to safeguard the project area under construction and to maintain order, to protect those who have not yet signed contracts and those residents who have not yet moved out, and to keep all property safe, this project shall, as of 2016-05-23, require that all staff members and equipment operators entering or leaving the area show identification, and forbids any workers or staff without fixed duties to enter. During this important construction period, it will strictly control which personnel can enter. From today, we request that those residents who have yet signed contracts, to go as quickly as possible and register with the project work team, also giving them your motor vehicle information. In that way the command post can issue, in a unified manner, certified documents allowing the bearers to go in and out of the project area, and to use their vehicles. This must be completed by 2016-06-01.
We ask that our friends the residents currently living in the project site, to view this with understanding and cooperation, thank you to everyone!
Guangyuanli Shantytown Renovation Command Post
2015-05-23 (seal)
Translations about social issues: China 