Society
Even the dead move for Disney
By Li Xinzhu (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-23 08:16
 |
Large Medium Small |
SHANGHAI: Ancestor worship is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and burial grounds are selected in strict observation to the rules of feng shui, which promises to bring good luck to the family and the village.
 Residents of Shanghai's Jinjia village transport the remains of their family members yesterday as part of efforts to make way for a proposed Disneyland theme park project. [Gao Erqiang] |
So when 1,200 graves in four villages in rural Shanghai had to move to make way for the proposed Disneyland amusement park project, many villagers were outraged - not so much because of disrespect to their ancestors but rather for what they considered to be inadequate compensation.
The Shanghai municipal government offered 300 yuan ($44) for the relocation of each grave in the villages of Jinjia, Qigan, Xueqiao and Zhaohang, all located in the Huanglou area in Pudong district.
"It's definitely not enough," said Wu Zhihua, a resident of Jinjia village, who was asked to relocate his grandparents' graves.
"The authority is paying me 600 yuan for the job that is going to cost me 26,000 yuan," Wu said.
Complaints or not, the villagers were told they have until Jan 5 to move their ancestors' graves.
The Shanghai municipal government said on Nov 4 that the central government had approved the Disneyland project. The proposed theme park is scheduled to open to the public in 2014.
In Jinjia village, there are about 200 to 300 graves that need to be relocated, said the village head, who declined to be named. "Most of them (the villagers) understand and will cooperate with us," he said.
| ||||
"We are entitled to more compensation," said Shi Pingjing, a man in his 50s who was supervising the digging of his grandparents' graves in Jinjia for relocation.
"I don't know how much they (the town government) will get for the land acquisition. But the amount we received is definitely too little," he said.
"A new grave costs us more than 20,000 yuan and we need to hire people and rent cars for this work."
Not all of the villagers are as annoyed.
"I've planned for about two years to move the grave of my father's first wife," said Zhou Wenguo, a 47-year-old villager of Jinjia village.
"The whole environment in Jinjia Country's graveyard is not convenient, either for the ancestor or the people who come to pay their respects," he said, "then we had this opportunity of being acquired by the Disneyland project."
According to local media reports, at least 4,000 residents in Chuansha town will also be relocated for the Disneyland project.
