One of the poorest counties in China is in trouble with the government after spending more than 62 million yuan (US$9.1 million) on two gates and other “image projects”, Trend reports referring to South China Morning Post.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development described landscaping works near an expressway in Yuzhong county, northwestern Gansu province, as vanity projects that were incompatible with the region’s economic circumstances.
The projects include two city gates about 500 metres apart over an expressway. They were built in the style of the Qin and Han dynasties of 2,000 years ago and stand 28 metres high by 145 metres wide. Nearby are a statute and two landscaped squares.
An editorial in the Beijing News on Sunday said: “To stop this phenomenon, stronger fiscal discipline and greater scrutiny of big projects [are needed]. Against the current macroeconomic backdrop, authorities across the country should adjust their spending based on their incomes and cut out unnecessary image projects.”
Yuzhong is one of more than 600 counties recognised by authorities as suffering extreme poverty. Residents’ disposable income for 2017 in Yuzhong was 17,000 yuan, compared with the national average of 25,974 yuan, according to the local statistics department.
“The Yuzhong government didn’t use its limited fiscal income to improve people’s livelihoods. Instead, it borrowed to create landscapes and build image projects,” the ministry said, urging local authorities reconsider their priorities.
The gates were completed two years ago – the ministry found out about them during an inspection last year.
The ministry also criticised Hancheng, in northern Shaanxi province, after 190 million yuan was spent on building hills and waterfalls.
On social media, the ministry’s tough words were welcomed and there were calls for tough action. One Weibo user wrote: “The authorities should not only criticise the local government but should find out which government officials are responsible for these projects.”