The BBC reports on Beijing residents who are protesting the destruction of the old city, and their homes, as the government rushes to create a modern city in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.
One resident, whose house was torn down, says: “This unchecked demolition over the past few years has changed the way that people think about the party and the government. Now people think our government isn’t governing for us. They’re bandits and hooligans. It’s a very deep problem. People have already lost confidence in the government.”
Journalist Ian Johnson also wrote very movingly about Beijingers struggling to save their old city in his book Wild Grass.
“Demolish” – Beijing, May 2004
