Recently, a park built in Hu Dong Village, Dongnan Street, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, with an investment of nearly 17 million yuan (RMB) was demolished in less than 5 months.
According to a report from the Jiangsu Radio and Television General Station · New Media News Center on May 10, villagers in Hu Dong Village, Dongnan Street, Changshu City, revealed that the local park had been torn down.
The villagers revealed that the park had a local investment of nearly 17 million yuan and covered an area of nearly 50 mu. It was a supporting project of the “Qiancun Meiju” project in Hu Dong New Village in 2023. The park was completed at the end of 2023 and officially opened to the public in early 2024.
The villagers said that on April 28, the park was suddenly fenced off by someone, and later it was completely demolished.
From April 28 to around 11 p.m. on April 30, the park’s road was filled with about twenty construction vehicles, including crushers and excavators. The park was demolished, and even the trees were completely uprooted.
On May 9, only remnants of the park’s landscape bridge remained, and the fitness trail was no longer intact.
The villagers expressed regret that the park, where people used to take walks, was now demolished. They said, “It’s a real waste. I don’t know if they really have money.” As for the reason for the demolition, the villagers mentioned that this area might have been farmland in the past, but it was later developed into a park after being incorporated into the Dongnan Development Zone. However, it was revealed through aerial photography from Nanjing that the area used to be good farmland, so now they are required to return it to farmland.
According to the staff of the Hu Dong Village Committee in Dongnan Street, Changshu City, the land in question did not conform to the designated land use and was not meant for construction, so it had to be restored to farmland. When asked who was responsible for such a loss, the staff responded by saying if ordered from above to demolish it, how could they not comply?
The report also mentioned that the staff did not allow journalists to post pictures of the situation online.
This incident has sparked various discussions among netizens.
“Where did the money go? It turned into reinforced concrete.” “One of the reasons for local debt growth.” “Another source of income through cooperation.” “Accountability must be pursued, and corruption punished.” “These projects are only about making money!” “It’s a dilemma. If they have money, they ignore debts; if they don’t, they destroy millions of investments without hesitation.”