"Ghost City" Farmers

CFP

23:00, April 18, 2015

Gao Jinsong, secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee, has been sacked for three consecutive terms after being investigated. With the "demolition and construction", Chenggong County, known as the "hometown of fruits" on the east bank of Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan, has become a new area of Chenggong with steel bars and cement in just a few years. The lack of supporting facilities and insufficient population make this new city a "ghost town". Farmers who have lived here for generations are not well adapted to the days of "going upstairs". Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: one /12

Lao Feng was a villager of Zhongzhuang in Chenggong County. In 2008, Zhongzhuang was included in the construction scope of Chenggong New Town. A few years later, the new town was built, and some villagers moved back. Except for the dozens of farmers who moved back, there were no other residents. After losing the land, Lao Feng and his mother, who was nearly 90 years old, lived in the building. When they are free, they will walk in the community. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: two /12

The land acquisition policy for Chenggong New Town construction is to relocate to the original site. Among the 17 completed residential communities in the new town, only 2 communities have an occupancy rate of 90%, and most of the remaining communities have an occupancy rate of less than 30%. Wu Changqing/CFP: three /12

Old Feng's new home is a duplex structure. The hall is two floors high. The old Feng couple live with their mother. The space of the new home is spacious, but old Feng said he was still unaccustomed to it. Old Mrs. Feng is nearly 90 years old, and her legs are not smooth. At home, she is used to basking in the sun on the balcony and looking out of the window. The old lady said that among the tall buildings, you can see the village of Zhongzhuang before. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: four /12

Like many villagers, Lao Feng used to go to the "ruins" of the village every morning. The picture shows Lao Feng's neighbor, Lao Wang, who likes to push his bicycle around the ruins. After passing the collapsed house, he would stop to "look for treasure" and see if there was anything worth taking back to decorate an empty new home. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: five /12

This time, Lao Wang found an old radio from the ruins. It used to be a temple, then it became a place for educated youth to learn, and later it was used to teach villagers to learn Pinyin and speak Mandarin. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: six /12

Lao Wang walked through a field in the village where there used to be a large vegetable and flower base. As for how this land will be used in the future, he is not very clear. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: seven /12

Old Feng likes to smoke a large cigarette gun at home. Lao Feng's son works in the downtown area of Kunming. He feels like he is out of town and seldom returns to Chenggong. After losing the land, the family's source of income is some living expenses sent back by his son every month. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: eight /12

The light in the corridor has been out of order for some days. Lao Wang pushed the cart upstairs carefully in the dark. At night, there is no place to buy things in the new town. It is dark everywhere. "When you meet some people in ghost towns with few people, you will feel very kind". Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: nine /12

The Langmiao Primary School in Chenggong New Area has been under construction since 2011 and has not been completed yet. After a long shutdown, the nearby villagers raised chickens and dried grain in the school. Even if there is no rotten tail, the source of students is also a big problem. Zhang Yujie/Dongfang IC: ten /12

When old Feng first moved into his new home, he couldn't even use the elevator. It took a long time to get used to it. He said that although there were few rural houses before, it was easy for everyone to get together. Now the house is big, but there is a sense of alienation and emptiness. In the past, you can see villagers and neighbors when you go out. Now you can see the elevator when you go out. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: eleven /12

When moving, Mrs. Feng insisted on bringing traditional farm tools and sacrifices to her new home. In a small room on the second floor of the house, there are paintings enshrined in the rural home and memorial tablets of ancestors. On the first day of the lunar new year and the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, they would worship, just like they used to do in the village. Billy H.C. Kwok/CFP: twelve /12

Editor in charge: Wang Shikun | Page editor: Wang Shikun