Recently, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, homeowners of Baiyun Xinghui City in Baiyun District, along with villagers from Luoxian Village in Huadu District, gathered at local government departments to fight for their children’s access to ideal prestigious schools before the new academic year.
The trigger for this rights-protection movement was the announcement of the compulsory education school enrollment plan by various districts of Guangzhou on the evening of April 28. Both Luoxian Village residents and Xinghui City homeowners were disappointed because the promised priority admission to new schools by the local government or developers had disappeared, turning prestigious schools into local village schools, which sparked protests by dissatisfied parents.
Xinghui City, developed by Yuexiu Real Estate, was once well-known in the area for its affiliated prestigious schools, attracting a large number of homebuyers who planned for their children’s future education.
One homeowner, Zhao Yan (alias), revealed to reporters that she purchased property in the second phase of Xinghui City earlier this year due to its association with Jinguang Experimental School, formerly known as Baiyun Guangfu Experimental School, also known as “Jinguangfu”. Many homeowners bought properties in this area for their children’s education planning, leading to the complete sell-out of the second phase. Zhao also mentioned that neighboring projects such as Poly’s developments are still not completely sold out.
She further explained that she purchased her property in this development for 17,000 yuan per square meter this year, which is half the price compared to the first phase homeowners but still relatively high compared to surrounding properties.
It is reported that in June 2023, Yuexiu Baiyun Xinghui City held a ceremony to cap the elementary school, with leaders from the Baiyun District Zhongluotan Town government, Baiyun Guangfu Education Group, and Yuexiu Real Estate in attendance, attracting significant media coverage. Also, in July 2022, the associated primary and junior high schools of the project had already been integrated into the Baiyun Guangfu Education Group, managed by Jinguang Experimental School (Jinguangfu) of Baiyun District.
As the core school of the Education Group jointly built by the Baiyun District Education Bureau and Guangda High School, Jinguangfu was established in 2011 and well-known in Guangzhou. In 2018, Jinguangfu scored an average of 720.6 in the high school entrance exam, ranking first in Guangzhou. Subsequently, it continuously topped the results for five years, achieving unprecedented high scores and pass rates in 2022. Jinguangfu has become the educational “ceiling” in the minds of many parents.
On April 28, Guangzhou districts announced the compulsory education school enrollment plan late in the evening, leaving Xinghui City homeowners dismayed. The exclusive Jinguangfu School that was promised to Xinghui City had disappeared, replaced by Xingyue School, turning a prestigious school into a local village school. The school inside Xinghui City no longer admits students from other projects, now allowing enrollment based on a lottery system for residents within three kilometers of nearby developments. Zhao Yan mentioned that on April 29th and 30th, homeowners visited the town’s Education Bureau, district Education Bureau, and city government in succession to fight for their rights, only to receive a response indicating that Xingyue School’s enrollment did not belong to Jinguangfu.
Zhao Yan stated, “What was advertised initially was Jinguangfu School, managed by Baiyun Guangfu Group. There is clearly no longer the teaching staff of Jinguangfu here. I can confidently say that if this school is not here, all homeowners would definitely consider withdrawing.”
She also disclosed that Yuexiu Real Estate had obtained three plots of land to build a large residential area with 6,000 units, complete with various commercial facilities. However, only one plot of land was developed, with the other two being returned to the government. With only 1,800 homeowners, the promised commercial facilities were no longer provided, combined with the downgrade of the prestigious school to a local one, leading homeowners to reject this outcome.
According to reporters, around 200 homeowners went to the city government on April 30th to protect their rights, and there were police and plainclothes officers on the scene. Zhao Yan said plainclothes officers intentionally clashed with homeowners, leading to the arrest of two homeowners. They were released the next morning, and videos posted by homeowners online were quickly deleted. Some homeowners were even threatened by the police, preventing them from continuing their rights-protection activities.
The Epoch Times contacted the Baiyun District Education Bureau, but the person who took the call claimed not to be aware of the issue and hung up.
In addition, a rights-protection incident for children’s access to prestigious schools happened in Huadu District among Guangzhou parents.
In Huadu District, Guangzhou, Luo Xian Village under Huacheng Street underwent old village renovation a few years ago, with the land being acquired by developers to build commercial properties. Villager Wu Jianming (alias) told The Epoch Times that during the land acquisition and resettlement, the promise was made to prioritize admitting Luo Xian Village students to the new school (Tieying School West Campus, abbreviated as Tieying West, a combined primary and junior high school) by developers. Villagers considered this as one of the conditions for land acquisition.
The completion of Tieying West was scheduled for the official start of the academic year on September 1st this year. On April 28, the Huadu District Education Bureau released the enrollment plan, which did not include the enrollment of first-grade students from Luo Xian Village in Tieying West. Wu Jianming expressed that first-grade students could only attend the old village school, which has been around for over thirty years and is in poor condition, and villagers naturally want their children to study in modern facilities.
Wu Jianming said, “All of our land was taken, and the last piece of land was given to them to build a school. After the school was built, our own children have no places, so this time we have no choice but to take to the streets.”
On April 29, after confirming that students from surrounding developments could enroll in the school, while students from Luo Xian Village could not, around 200 villagers and students visited the district Education Bureau and government for rights-protection on April 30. They protested from early morning until late at night, chanting slogans, with a large number of police on standby.
Wu Jianming mentioned that due to the villagers’ protests, the government temporarily allowed first-grade students from the village to attend Tieying West. However, the enrollment situation for seventh-grade students (eighth graders) remains uncertain. The villagers are now wary of launching large-scale demonstrations, as many have been warned by the police not to gather and seek explanations.
The Epoch Times attempted to contact the Huadu District government but received no response throughout the calls.