The sides of this drainage channel at the southwest foot of Tanglang Mountain have now been turned into vegetable gardens. Shenzhen Business Journal reporter Zhen Yungyun took the photo.
Readers provided tips, and journalists conducted investigations.
Shenzhen Business Journal reporter Zhen Yungyun, intern Huang Xiping, and Zeng Zhihui
The slopes on both sides of the drainage channel at the southwest foot of Tanglang Mountain have transformed into a "farm," with the channel filled with tree branches, leaves, and debris. Some people have even openly built "single-family villas" at the foot of the mountain... In recent days, our newspaper has received multiple complaints from citizens stating that the southwest foot of Tanglang Mountain has become a genuine "personal vegetable garden."
People are claiming land to grow vegetables and build houses.
"Tanglang Mountain's base near Zhuguang Village's Tanglang Yashan residential area has seen its lychee trees cut down. Some people have turned this place into their own vegetable garden, casually throwing branches, leaves, and rubble into the drainage channel. Someone has even built a two-story villa here. We don't know who these people are, but we've complained many times already. Why is no one managing this? If there's a flood disaster, who will protect our lives and property?" Recently, Mr. Chen, who lives in Nanshan District, called the Shenzhen Business Journal hotline.
Mr. Chen told reporters that he is an owner in the Tanglang Yashan residential area in Zhuguang Village, Xili, Nanshan District. Originally, behind the residential area was a lush lychee forest, and at the foot of the mountain was a green forest made up of southern trees and shrubs. Not far from the residential area's wall was a drainage channel built to prevent floods. "But later, we discovered that someone was randomly destroying the forest to cultivate land, growing vegetables, raising chickens and pigs, and even building villas—no one was managing it!" Mr. Chen introduced that owners have frequently complained. Although the residential area management office has intervened to stop it, it hasn't been effective. Now, several households have claimed the mountain as their own, cultivating areas extending from the residential area's fence towards the lychee forest on the mountain, and the excavation area grows larger day by day.
The vegetable garden stretches nearly a kilometer horizontally.
After receiving the hotline call, at 10:00 AM yesterday, I drove from Longzhu Avenue into Zhuguang Road, directly arriving at the Tanglang Yashan residential area in Zhuguang Village. Under the guidance of informant Mr. Chen, I followed a small road outside the wall of the Tanglang Yashan residential area. Just as I reached the southwest foot of Tanglang Mountain on the north side of the residential area, scattered vegetable plots came into view. I continued walking up the small road and found very few trees along the way. When I arrived at the drainage channel crossing Tanglang Mountain east-west, I discovered that the southwest foot of Tanglang Mountain hidden behind the residential area indeed had a different world. On both sides of the drainage channel, various-sized vegetable plots were neatly maintained, while un-cultivated slopes were piled with branches and exposed yellow soil.
Subsequently, I walked along the drainage channel from west to east. Along the way, I roughly estimated that the deforested and cultivated mountain land stretched nearly a kilometer horizontally, and about a hundred meters vertically. There were no fewer than three or four hundred vegetable plots alone. I also noticed that some vegetable plots were surrounded by fences made of branches, bamboo strips, or sails. On the vegetable plots or exposed yellow soil, I occasionally saw stumps left after trees were cut down. In the drainage channel, every few dozen meters, I could see piles of burning branches and grass. "These people often throw branches, leaves, and weeds from tilling the land into the drainage channel. When the drainage channel can't hold anymore, they burn it. If the flames are blown into the lychee forest above, it would be strange if a big fire didn't start!" Informant Mr. Chen worriedly said beside me.
During the interview, I saw several farmers dressed in work clothes busy in their vegetable gardens. I tried to communicate with them, but these people were cautious and unwilling to answer my questions. When I asked if they knew that planting here was not allowed, "Why isn't it allowed? Aren't others planting too?" A middle-aged woman holding a hoe removing weeds from her vegetable plot counter-asked me.
Private construction of a "single-family villa" at the foot of the mountain.
"I'll take you to see that villa," said informant Mr. Chen as he walked and led me to the foot of the mountain next to the northern wall of Tanglang Yashan. "This is that villa. I really don't know who has such great power to openly build a house and live here!" I noticed that the "villa" Mr. Chen referred to was a two-story standalone simple building. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the house was built next to a tall lychee tree, surrounded by a two-meter-high fence made of steel bars and wire mesh, enclosing the house and the lychee tree inside. The ground in front of the house was covered with a noticeable red carpet. At this time, the house door was tightly closed, and no one answered when I knocked.
According to Mr. Chen, this house was originally built as temporary accommodation for construction workers. After the Tanglang Yashan residential building was completed, it was transferred to the residential area security guards. "After several transfers, the current owner of this house is unknown. They renovated the house, built a fence, laid a carpet, and even raised poultry inside. They dumped domestic waste directly into the flood prevention channel. This illegal construction has yet to be investigated and dealt with by relevant departments." Mr. Chen expressed his hope that relevant departments pay attention, resolutely stop such illegal behavior, restore farmland to forest, and return residents a safe and comfortable living environment.
Relevant departments will investigate and deal with it according to law.
"If vegetation is cultivated and destroyed, once heavy rain comes, it will easily cause landslides, and then we who live at the foot of the mountain will suffer." Seeing the green vegetation on the slope being leveled and planted with vegetables block by block, Mr. Chen from Phase II of Tanglang Yashan said worriedly.
Mr. Chen pointed out that Shenzhen's subtropical marine climate often experiences rainy seasons lasting for months. Heavy rain falling on exposed mountainsides causes soil unprotected by vegetation to be easily washed away by rainwater, leading to landslides, posing great danger to residents living at the foot of the mountain. "The drainage channel has also been blocked by debris from vegetable cultivation and broken stones. When the rain cannot be timely guided down the mountain through the drainage channel, it poses a hazard to the entire Tanglang Mountain. I sincerely hope that relevant departments take this seriously."
In the morning yesterday, when I called the Urban Management Department of Taoyuan Subdistrict Office, relevant staff told me that they indeed received many complaints about residents cultivating mountain forests for vegetable planting in the second phase of Tanglang Mountain and Tanglang Yashan area. The subdistrict office has sent staff multiple times to communicate and persuade local residents, informing them of various consequences, hoping that vegetable-growing residents would stop destroying the mountain vegetation and blocking the drainage channel. However, the local residents ignored the persuasion from the subdistrict office staff and continued as usual. The staff indicated that the situation has been reported to the district agriculture and water bureau, asking them to send the law enforcement team to handle it.
Subsequently, I called the Agriculture and Water Bureau of Nanshan District. Captain He of the Law Enforcement Team of the Agriculture and Water Bureau of Nanshan District told me, "Cultivating vegetable plots on both sides of the drainage channel is absolutely not allowed." Once the drainage channel is blocked and loses its flood discharge function, the consequences will be unimaginable. Captain He informed that the law enforcement team will soon organize law enforcement officers to verify the situation on-site. If confirmed true, the law enforcement team will legally prohibit residents from growing vegetables and restore the original appearance of Tanglang Mountain's green vegetation to ensure the smooth drainage of the drainage channel.
Regarding the "single-family villa" outside the iron railing of the north gate mentioned by Mr. Chen, a staff member of the Constellation Property Management Office of Phase II of Tanglang Yashan told me that the "single-family villa" does not belong to Tanglang Yashan buildings but was self-built by local residents. Then, I called the Taoyuan Subdistrict Violation Investigation Office Law Enforcement Team. Captain Li of the Law Enforcement Team told me that the "single-family villa" is actually a "one household one building" structure built by local residents. However, some residents questioned that Tanglang Mountain belongs to a national natural ecological reserve. "Not only is building on the mountain not allowed, but building at the foot of the mountain should also not be permitted."