Zhang Yu, Liu Wenjin

JeniZhang13@163.com

THERE is probably no other place as special as Baishizhou in Shenzhen. Surrounded by tourist attractions, high-end residential estates and large shopping malls, Baishizhou, the most densely populated urban village in the city, seems to be a square peg in a round hole.

Taking a stroll in the village, the landscape of a modern city recedes abruptly. The place is a mixture of bustling streets teeming with people and mom-and-pop shops, as well as “handshake buildings.”

These buildings, a signature of Baishizhou, get the name because they were built so close together that residents can almost shake hands with each other from the windows of their apartments.

Although dense wires hang over the narrow alleys like a giant spider’s web, Baishizhou was like a colossal sponge, welcoming and taking in aspiring young graduates and migrant workers from across the country and providing these people with housing, food and entertainment at affordable prices.

This “square peg,” with a land area of 0.6 square kilometers, has accommodated more than 150,000 people in more than 50,000 rental apartments.

However, as the renewal project of Baishizhou suddenly revved up in the second half of this year, this place, once the first stop for countless newcomers to Shenzhen, is about to embrace a new life and be reshaped into an urban complex that blends residential and commercial uses.

For some, it may be the hardest goodbyes they’ve ever said; for others, it may be time for this “square peg” to really fit into the city and keep pace with urban development.

A home away from home

David Shomaker from the United States owns a swim club in Shenzhen and had lived in Xiabaishi, Baishizhou, for two and a half years.

Shomaker has lived in many different places in Shenzhen since he first moved to the city in 2008. Although he has lived in the city for 11 years, he felt like he was a part of Baishizhou.

“It is a tightly knit community that has these little streets and alleys. They’re like a maze, which I thought of as an interesting part of Baishizhou. I liked knowing my way around there and that’s kind of a badge that I’m living there,” said Shomaker.

Shomaker got to know a lot of the people on the street he lived on because it was filled with little shops. He enumerated the neighbors whom he was familiar with — the mechanic, the air-conditioning guy, the seamstress, the handymen and different restaurant owners.

“I met all these people downstairs and they’re from all over China. In the restaurant that served Sichuan food, I basically always ordered the same thing. So every time I went in, I’d just give the owner a thumbs-up and she would make my order,” he said.

Though he felt wistful about the reconstruction, Shomaker eventually moved out of his apartment and found a new home in Longgang District. His neighbors downstairs also relocated to different places, according to him.

For Felipe Maia, memories of Baishizhou are also hard to erase. His fond feelings for the place, evinced by a conspicuous tattoo of the Chinese characters for Baishizhou written on his left thigh, are fairly self-explanatory.

Maia is a Portuguese who teaches soccer in Shenzhen and has lived in the Baishizhou area for five years. Although the building where he lives isn’t within the renewal plan, he likes to frequent the restaurants and bars in the crowded and noisy alleys of Baishizhou.

“If I live in China, I want to live in a place that looks like I’m living in China and a place that has an identity. And Baishizhou is a typical place of China,” he said.

Maia feels sad that the place is giving way to tall buildings and wide streets. “I can see the place is now dying and there is no life here, but I understand why it is being torn down.”

Up and down sides

There is no doubt that Baishizhou is well-placed for easy access to public transport and daily necessities, and it is known for its relatively low cost of living, but problems such as substandard building practices, overcrowding and a living environment with little sunlight or ventilation remain the elephant in the room.

Huang Sihui is a graphic designer who lived in Baishizhou for about a year. The little house she lived in was on the roof of a building and was made of iron sheets.

“The environment downstairs was very bad. There was always water dripping down to the alleys. The landlord of our building was lazy and the hallway was dirty,” she said.

Huang recalled bitterly the sleepless nights that were caused by rats and the hot air blowing against her face from the iron sheets in the summer. “The air conditioner leaked water. There was serious water seepage on rainy days and the power would be cut off occasionally in the summer.”

Huang finally decided to move out. However, she believes that the reconstruction of Baishizhou will play a positive role in promoting the modernization of Shenzhen and the living conditions there will certainly be improved.

For singles like Huang, a bedroom or a small house in Baishizhou might seem relatively spacious, but hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and small business owners lived in the cramped spaces.

Li Wei, for instance, lived in a small room of about 10 square meters with his wife and two children. A taxi driver surnamed Chen said he and his family of six lived in a house with only two bedrooms and one living room.

However small their living spaces were, their work, life, family and children’s education were all close-knit and were inseparable from the place. Moving out seemed to make their lives harder.

“The reconstruction has made many people resigned to leave here and have to face the problems of study, work and life again. Meanwhile, the costs of living like rent will increase for these people when they move to other places,” said Wang Xiaosa, a bar owner in Baishizhou.

Renewal under way

The Baishizhou renewal project was initiated by the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Nanshan District Government in 2005, with the early stages involving research. Fourteen years on, the project is finally being carried out after it was given the go-ahead Dec. 28, 2018.

According to Shenzhen Baishizhou Joint Stock Co., the main unit applying for the renewal project, the reconstruction area covers Tangtou Village, Xiabaishi Village, Shangbaishi Village and Xintang Village, with an area of 459,500 square meters. About 1,600 buildings will be demolished, involving 4,500 property owners.

According to the developer Lvgem Group, the total development area of the project is 3.58 million square meters, including 1.25 million square meters for residential buildings and 1.12 million square meters for commercial apartments with the remainder designated for supporting facilities.

The residential buildings, accounting for a third of the project, are mainly residential estates, talent housing and government-subsidized housing. Another third of the project will be developed into apartments catering to well-paid white-collar workers, while the final third will be commercial and office spaces and hotels.

The urban renewal project will also attract several world-class companies to move into the area.

According to the planning, the reconstruction project is being implemented in three phases and relevant work, such as signing contracts with property owners, terminating lease contracts with tenants, and clearing and demolishing the buildings, must be finished within two years.

The renewal of Baishizhou is expected to be completed in 2029, which means a new Baishizhou will be born in 10 years.