Recently, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping emphasized that urbanization should not be treated as a superficial project to prevent the emergence of cadres who engage in symbolic actions such as “patting their chests, patting their heads, and patting their buttocks.” Media reports have shown that since Xi came to power, numerous “facade projects” have proliferated throughout the Communist Party of China, with his flagship project, the Xiong’an New Area, being heavily criticized. There have been instances of construction projects being built only to be torn down later, leading to wastage of resources.
The Central Urban Work Conference of the Chinese Communist Party was held in Beijing on the 14th to 15th, focusing on advancing the transformation of urban villages and dilapidated houses. Xi Jinping’s statements during the conference were detailed in an article published on the front page of the party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, on the 17th.
Xi Jinping emphasized that urbanization should prioritize substance over appearances, firmly reject formalism and bureaucracy, address the problems of ignorance and self-righteousness, and prevent the emergence of cadres engaging in superficial actions.
For decades, China has pursued a showcase economy with a focus on “facade projects,” which prioritize superficial appearances over genuine needs, often resulting in financial waste. For example, the Xiong’an New Area, led by Xi Jinping and hailed as a “millennium project,” has often been mocked by the public as a facade project.
The Chinese Communist Party has been dubbed as the “infrastructure fanatic.” While the massive urbanization drive in the past has been a key driver of China’s economic growth, it has also left behind substantial debts at the local level and a plethora of unfinished projects. Many construction projects have been built and then dismantled, perpetuating a cycle of financial waste.
Multiple Chinese media outlets reported on July 15th that the “Bay Area Wisdom Garden” project near Chentian Garden in Guangzhou’s Baiyun District, completed and later demolished within just over a week despite an 80-day construction period. The public raised questions about the source of funds for these rapid constructions and demolitions, speculating whether taxpayer money was involved.
Several examples of “facade projects” being demolished due to mismanagement and causing significant financial waste have come to light across various regions in recent years. These instances highlight the detrimental effects of prioritizing appearances over actual needs and responsible spending.
Public records indicate that Xi Jinping has personally intervened in cases involving the demolition of unauthorized structures, notably in the Qinling Mountains region, where unauthorized villas continued to exist despite multiple directives for their removal.
Furthermore, critiquing the phenomenon of “facade projects,” commentator Li Lin believes that the Chinese regime’s promotion of urban revitalization initiatives may inadvertently lead to the perpetuation of short-lived, superficial constructions by local officials seeking to achieve visible results quickly. Despite official rhetoric against facade projects, the persistence of such wasteful practices demonstrates systemic issues within the Chinese Communist Party that hinder effective oversight and governance.
As China continues to grapple with issues of financial mismanagement, environmental degradation, and social inequality, the prevalence of facade projects and wasteful construction practices underscore the challenges faced by a system marked by limited accountability and lack of transparency. Without meaningful reforms and public oversight mechanisms, the cycle of misallocated resources and excessive infrastructure spending is likely to persist, underscoring the need for sustainable and responsible development practices to address the country’s evolving urbanization needs.