The magazine said the reason for the suspension was not only manoeuvring by the powerful Ministry of Railways, which began work a fortnight ago on a rival Shanghai-Hangzhou express railway using high-speed but conventional technology.

Unusually for China, whose capacity to build infrastructure rapidly has become a hallmark, Caijing said protests by citizens living alongside the maglev route was also a major factor in its suspension. They demonstrated frequently, voicing their concerns about the likely resulting downward push of property prices, and their fears about electromagnetic radiation.

[...] The thousands of “mass incidents” that China’s authorities have become adept at handling, have in recent years comprised almost entirely farmers and sometimes migrant workers. Security agencies are not used to dealing with large numbers of middle-class demonstrators, most of them home owners.

© Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: environmental protests, Maglev, maglev protests, middle class, NIMBY, Shanghai
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Mr Han said Beijing had yet to approve the extension and that the city was still consulting experts about possible health risks from maglev technology.

His conciliatory comments reflect official concern about the heated emotions the proposed new line has stirred among the well-to-do residents of one of Shanghai’s suburbs. .

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Post tags: maglev protests, protests, Shanghai
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I think we should guard against reading too much into this event. Howard W. French, in his New York Times story makes a rather bold claim that the protests are “the strongest sign yet of rising resentment among China’s fast-growing middle class over a lack of say in decision making.” Social classes rarely act in unified ways politically, and it’s questionable at best whether the middle class in China is generally characterized by resentment.

Still, I agree that we’re looking at an important form of political action that deserves our attention. It was undertaken by people who now have resources (money, education, communication tools like cell phones, the internet and video cameras) that were missing or less prevalent in earlier parts of PRC history. When they buy expensive homes in these new housing developments it gives them a strong interest in protecting that investment — British Thatcherites and U.S. “ownership society” advocates would nod their heads at this.

But I think homeowners are also motivated by a sense that when they acquire their piece of what we might call the “Chinese dream,” there’s an implicit social contract going with it. The system in China now encourages people to devote their energy to getting ahead in the new economy, and once they “make it” by acquiring a nice, modern home, once of the ultimate markers of success, they feel entitled to certain things: fair treatment in matters concerning their home, veto power over unreasonable arrangements, some control over the neighborhood environment, peace and quiet, privacy, and freedom from certain kinds of impositions. This sense of being entitled to things beyond what’s specified on the property deed is a big part of what underlies the homeowner movement more generally.

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Post tags: maglev protests, middle class
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The sudden “strolls” by thousands of office workers, company managers, young families and the elderly in this sleek financial hub are the latest chapter in a quiet middle-class battle against government officials. The protesters are going about their mission carefully, and many speak anonymously for fear of retribution in a country that stifles dissent.

The Communist Party has a massive security apparatus that closely monitors what it views as subversive activity. The party sometimes allows public protests if they serve its political interests, such as the ouster of corrupt officials.

But the protests here have been unusual. They are led by homeowners and professionals — people who may not previously have had much to complain to the government about but whose awareness of their individual rights has grown along with their prosperity.
(UPDATE: The New York Times also reports on the protests in tomorrow’s paper (via A Glimpse of the World blog).

© Kate Zhao for China Digital Times (CDT), 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: maglev protests, middle class, protests, Shanghai
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© Sophia Cao for China Digital Times (CDT), 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: environmental protests, maglev protests, Shanghai
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This is not the first time a novel mode of transportation has triggered a Shanghai protest. A century ago, rickshaw pullers smashed trams that threatened their livelihood. But as a longtime student of Shanghai protests, I can say with conviction that the anti-maglev protests aren’t quite like anything seen in the early 1900s or even Tiananmen times. Describing mass actions as “collective walks” is new, as is coordinating actions via text messages and having videos of marches uploaded onto YouTube.

This decidedly twenty-first-century form of protest in Shanghai resonates with recent demonstrations in other Chinese cities–notably the 2007 protests in Xiamen, again mostly led by members of a burgeoning new middle class, that successfully blocked the opening of a chemical plant. Both protests involve specific goals being pursued by people who do not challenge the government’s legitimacy, but simply call on it to do a better job of listening to those in whose name it claims to rule–and make good on its own stated goals, such as working to improve the material well-being and quality of life of the Chinese population. [Full text]

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Residents in Shanghai, whose communities may become neighboring blocks along a proposed maglev train route, are asking for more time to evaluate the project, the China Youth Daily reported on January 14.

According to a public notice posted on the official website of the Shanghai Municipal City Planning Administration from December 29 to January 18, the cross-river maglev train route would extend 31.8 kilometers from Longyang Station in the city’s eastern Pudong New Area to the Hongqiao Comprehensive Transportation Hub. The hub is now under construction in the western Changning District.

The length of the maglev train route is shorter by 3 kilometers from the original plan considered last year. The new path, running across the site of the World Exposition 2010 that flanks the Huangpu River, is expected to connect the city’s two airports – the Hongqiao International Airport and the Pudong International Airport.

“We are worried about the project which is going to be constructed near our homes, because it has created controversy in the past,” Li Qing in alias from the Minhang District told the China Youth Daily. [Full Text]

© Paulina Hartono for China Digital Times (CDT), 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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These are some excerpts on the anti-Maglev demonstrations in Shanghai over the past two weeks. These different voices are from the bolder media (Southern Metropolis Daily), Shanghai netizens, and newspapers controlled by Shanghai authorities. The first one is an editorial in Southern Metropolis Daily on Jan. 14, 2008, translated by CDT:

Editorial: Taking a Walk In Order to Meet a Mayor That Can Be Persuaded

May 2007, bright sunshine on Ludao island, but citizens in Xiamen were worried for their hometown. Smokestacks will soon replace green trees, poisonous gas will soon be in the clear sky, PX will turn Ludao island into a bonsai tree in a chemical factory. This was a project approved by the mayor, but citizens in Xiamen had their own opinions. Would they be able to find a mayor who could be persuaded? Citizens in Xiamen were not that confident, but they certainly made the effort. Let’s collectively take a walk, maybe we will meet a mayor who listens. Xiamen people are fortunate, they finally won glory for their city, together with a mayor who could be persuaded.

(...)
Read the rest of Editorial: Taking a Walk In Order to Meet a Mayor That Can Be Persuaded – Southern Metropolis Daily (423 words)

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Post tags: Maglev, maglev protests, Shanghai
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(...)
Read the rest of Shanghai Residents Protest Controversial Maglev Project on Jan.6. (133 words)

© Paulina Hartono for China Digital Times (CDT), 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Maglev, maglev protests, protest, Shanghai, videos
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