Translated by CDT from the Beijing News:
Hutouyan (虎头岩) is a tourist spot known for facing the Jialing River (嘉陵江). Surrounded by sky-piercing trees and natural vegetation, it not only boasts a hilltop view over the river and the city, but also has enormous commercial value. And a real estate developer has built out many luxurious villas on the hilltop, asking 30-50 million yuan for each unit, all over 1,000 square meters. The most pricey one sells for more than 100 million yuan and you will need to produce a financial certificate of more than 10 million yuan to visit as a potential buyer. Nearly 70% of the houses have been sold.
But this has drawn criticism from local residents and environmentalists. “The state reiterates over and over again that we shouldn’t build mansions on tourist spots, but it’s a widespread phenomenon here in Chongqing to see tourist spots and urban public green spaces being taken over by luxurious developments,” said Wu Dengming (吴登明), a Chongqing environmental group head. At Hutouyan alone, there are multiple developments, as the reporter learned. Other encroached places include: Mt. Jinyun (缙云山), Mt. Zhongliang (中梁山) and Mt. Tongluo (铜锣山). As a result, the green spaces for the general public are shrinking as the real estate booms. [Full Text in Chinese]
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