20th March 2007
A ‘garish green’ paint job on a mountain in Yunnan Province has become an issue of nationwide interest and some controversy. Was this a misguided attempt at environmental greening by the Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry, or a local businessman’s attempt to improve the view from his window?
According to Beijing Today, Laoshou mountain was quarried for decades, and was eventually closed down after villagers complained about constant noise and dust. Then, last August, the barren mountainside was spray-painted green, a project that took 7 people 45 days.
The local Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry has denied that it spend up to 470,000 yuan (US$60645) of public money on painting the mountain in an effort to satisfy government pressure for greenification projects.
The China Daily, meanwhile, has reported that a local painter and decorator called Du Mucheng spent just 10,000 yuan (US$1280) of his own money on painting the mountain in order to improve the fengshui of his home. He told the newspaper he considered the silence of the local government as tacit consent for his project.
Skeptics suggest that Du may be taking the heat for the local government. Quite whose bright idea it was to paint the mountain may remain a matter for local speculation for some time.