TENANTS living in Baishizhou, one of the largest urban villages in Shenzhen, are handling the village’s renovation and their resulting relocation with different attitudes and solutions, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

A business owner surnamed Mao is concerned with the relocation of his store brought about by the village’s renovation. Now 55, Mao came to the village from Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, in 2001 and rented a store that provides electric tools to different construction workers on Shahe Street.

Mao’s business grew under the high demand for his products and gradually gathered a solid customer base. Relocating his store to a new place will require him to accumulate new clientele.

“As time passed, the store gained a great number of customers who have supported the businesses all these years,” Mao told the reporter with the Daily. “I haven’t found a new location for the store and I’m not sure if I can find a suitable one. It takes a long time to build a new customer base, but we can only let it be.”

A couple from Shanwei City, Guangdong Province, that runs a dessert eatery in the village is worried about their children’s education, which will be affected by their family’s relocation. According to the husband, identified as Ma, even though they only charge five yuan (US$0.7) for a bowl of soup, the eatery can sell as many as 10 large pots every day, which provides a sufficient income to support the family.

Ma said it would be nearly impossible for his twin sons, who are currently attending Nanshan Second Experimental School, to transfer to another school within a short period of time. He also pointed out that the children would need to travel a long distance to their present school if they were to move far away.

Another business owner, surnamed Zheng, has chosen to close his store and go back to his hometown in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, in the face of the relocation. Zheng came to Baishizhou in 2000 and opened a tofu store. To him, Baishizhou is a second home, where he got married and spent most of his adult life.

Zheng and his wife, who are now over 50 years old, have decided to leave the village after living here for almost 20 years. According to Zheng, many of his friends in Baishizhou also plan to go back to their hometowns upon the village’s renovation. He expressed nostalgia but said leaving is the best choice.

A young man identified as Jiang, who moved to Baishizhou last year, will soon move out of the village. After graduation in 2018, Jiang found a job near Baishizhou and rented an apartment in the village, where the cheap rent and low living expenses have attracted many people to settle down.

At present, Jiang has found a new place to live near Baishizhou.

According to relevant departments, Baishizhou’s renovation project, which has been discussed by the village’s residents for more than 10 years, needs to be finished within two years. Tang Xiangyu, a deputy to the Nanshan District People’s Congress, said he hopes that people will be able to find a place to stay and continue to pursue their dreams in the city.

“In the future, more and more urban villages might be replaced by modernized buildings,” Tang said. “As individuals, we should adjust to and embrace this change and follow the city’s development to search for new opportunities.”

(Liu Wenjin)