In Shantou City, Guangdong Province, a privately owned mansion called “Ying Garden” reportedly costing 1 billion RMB was recently ordered to be demolished by the authorities, sparking public attention and criticism. Netizens pointed out that the government’s actions were wasteful.
On May 13, the news of the mandatory demolition of the mansion “Ying Garden” in Shantou City made headlines on social media.
According to reports from mainland media such as The Paper and Dawan News, a notice issued by the Chaoyang District Government of Shantou City on May 9 stated that the antique-style mansion “Ying Garden” was illegally constructed and was ordered to be demolished by the administrative authorities. The builder of the mansion was a former villager named Chen Yingbiao. It was alleged that Chen illegally occupied collective industrial land to build over ten houses, covering an area of 54.561 mu.
The notice mentioned that after an investigation by the Shantou City Natural Resources Bureau, Chen Yingbiao was issued an “Administrative Penalty Decision” requiring him to demolish “Ying Garden” within 45 days from the date of receiving the decision. If the demolition is not completed within the specified period, the Chaoyang District Government will proceed with the forced demolition.
Rumors circulated online stating that the construction of “Ying Garden” began in 2013 and was funded by the three brothers from Xilu Town with an investment of nearly 1 billion RMB.
A viral video showed that “Ying Garden” was designed with the unique horse-drawn carriages of Chaoshan culture, consisting of four antique-style buildings in the Beijing quadrangle courtyard style and seven sets of European-style villas. The entire compound exuded an ancient charm with intricate carvings and paintings, presenting a magnificent sight.
On May 13, officials from the Xi Lu Town Government in Chaoyang District confirmed to the mainland media that they were dealing with the building in question, but they did not confirm the specifics of the forced demolition or the rumored cost of “Ying Garden” being 1 billion RMB.
The imminent forced demolition of this exquisite antique courtyard sparked discussions among mainland Chinese netizens:
“Such a place couldn’t have been built overnight. What were the relevant departments doing during the construction?”
“It could have been turned into a tourist attraction, outright demolition seems a bit wasteful.”
“Donating and charging admission fees would have been better than demolition, right?”
“Building and then tearing down, a great way to stimulate consumption.”
“The neighboring village also has such grand buildings, quite impressive.”
“The demolition of this place seems quite wasteful.”
The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly faced backlash for forced demolition actions violating people’s rights, leading to public grievances. Earlier this year, New Tang Dynasty reported that Cao Guoji, a resident of Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou City, had his private residence demolished last April without prior notice and has yet to receive compensation.
Cao’s private residence was nearly 800 square meters, but the relocation office was only willing to compensate based on the population, offering 200 square meters, a deal that Cao and his wife disagreed with. Cao’s wife, a former manager at a state-owned enterprise, was even dismissed for failing to reach a compensation agreement with the relocation office. Cao mentioned that the region had started demolitions in 2021, but no formal procedures were followed; essentially, it was a case of land speculation.