▲ Several relocated residential buildings have already been constructed. Photo by reporter Hu Xuebai.
After the overall demolition of Taiping Village in Renhe Town, Shunyi District, the villagers found out that although the demolition agreement clearly stated that the demolition was for the construction of a subway and its supporting facilities, commercial housing would be built instead. Moreover, farmland not mentioned in the demolition agreement has been occupied to build relocated residential buildings.
On September 26, our reporter learned from the Beijing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau that the Renhe Town government had started constructing relocated residential buildings on farmland without obtaining land use approval. In response to the villagers' questions, the Renhe Town government of Shunyi District did not provide a clear answer.
Villagers Claim They Were Misled
According to the official website data of Renhe Town, Shunyi District, the total population of Taiping Village is 2140 people. Last November, a demolition announcement completely changed this village with over a hundred years of history.
In the "Beijing Municipal People's Government Approval on Shunyi District's 2009 Annual Batch of Construction Land Use", our reporter saw that the municipal government agreed to allow the Shunyi District government to expropriate 269.52 acres of residential areas and independent industrial and mining lands in Taiping Village, Renhe region.
Villager Mr. Wang said that at the start of the demolition, the town government showed documents claiming that it was for the construction of Subway Line M15, combined with old village renovation work, so most villagers actively cooperated. By December 2009, most villagers agreed to the demolition. After receiving corresponding resettlement fees from relevant departments, the villagers found their own accommodation.
On December 26 last year, when the demolition work in Taiping Village was nearing completion, the government posted a land requisition announcement stating that 269.52 acres of collective land in Taiping Village would be used as residential land. The villagers felt deceived: "It was clearly stated to be for subway construction and supporting facilities, but now it's going to be commercial housing?" They believed that the demolishers were using the pretext of subway construction to lure them into moving out of the old village at low cost.
Residential Buildings Constructed on Farmland
After the demolition of their residences, the villagers soon discovered that their farmland had also been occupied by the town government.
According to the official website data of Renhe Town, Shunyi District, Taiping Village has 500 acres of farmland. According to the villagers, their farmland area is at least 600 acres. The villagers said that this is fertile land where they have long grown wheat, soybeans, and other crops with good harvests.
In March 2010, the villagers of Taiping Village found that many workers suddenly appeared on this land, bringing sand and gravel materials to start building houses. After inquiring, they learned that the Renhe Town government would construct relocated residential buildings for nearby villages such as Taiping Village and Forward Village on this farmland. "Why are houses being built on perfectly good farmland? How will we live in the future?" Villager Mr. Zhao said that during the demolition talks, only residential land was discussed, and there was no mention of requisitioning farmland.
The villagers stated that they had repeatedly reported the situation to the town government but received no response. They could only take extreme actions, frequently blocking the road at the construction site entrance to prevent engineering vehicles from entering.
Construction Started Without Approval
On the morning of September 21, our reporter drove to the original site of Taiping Village. On the south side of the second ring road in Shunyi District, our reporter saw that more than ten high-rise buildings had already risen up, with their external wall structures all completed but not yet painted. At the entrance of the construction site, the words "relocated residential buildings" were clearly written. Workers said that the project started after the New Year, stopped for a period around April, and then resumed construction later.
On September 21, our reporter saw in a demolition agreement provided by the villagers that the scope of demolition stipulated in the agreement was only the villager's homesteads, and farmland was not mentioned. Multiple villagers said that no compensation was given for the occupation of farmland, nor was any explanation provided.
Villagers Wu Wenjia and Shi Jinrong had reported this matter to the Beijing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau. On September 21, our reporter saw in the "Handling Opinion Letter for Land and Resources Petitions" that the Beijing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau stated that the land issues reflected by the villagers were related to the land occupied by the Taiping Village relocation building project in Renhe Town. They had required the Shunyi Branch of the Beijing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau to notify the Renhe Town government to immediately suspend construction until land use approval procedures were expedited and completed before resuming work. Currently, the project is processing relevant land use approval procedures.
On September 26, relevant staff members of the Beijing Municipal Land and Resources Bureau told our reporter that the project is still under review. Farmland can be requisitioned for housing construction, but the procedures are relatively complex. Our reporter conducted multiple queries on the Beijing Planning Commission's website but failed to find relevant certificates such as the "Planning Opinion Letter", "Land Use Permit", and "Construction Engineering Permit" for this relocation building project.
Town Government Did Not Provide a Direct Response
On September 26, the Renhe Town government responded that there was no deception of the villagers in the Taiping Village demolition issue. Regarding the problem raised in the demolition agreement about constructing commercial residential buildings while mentioning the construction of Subway Line M15 and its supporting facilities, the town government did not give a clear explanation.
A staff member of the town government said that the Taiping Village issue is relatively complicated. Previously, at the "Expert Review Meeting for Relocation Housing Construction Projects" held by the Beijing Municipal Land Department, relevant departments had agreed to requisition the farmland. However, she could not provide detailed content or the time of the meeting, only saying that the comrades who participated in the meeting had lost the documents, so the details were unclear.
Currently, the villagers hope that relevant departments can relocate them back to their original location and return their farmland.