Rural China's office politics

On the outskirts of the chief town in one of China's bottom counties, a series of deluxe edifices is slowly rising up from the earth.

These half-finished structures will eventually house the assorted authorities sections of Gushi county in Henan province.

But the local authorities is being criticised because it is disbursement a big ball of the county's yearly budget on the edifice projects.

It is just this sort of state of affairs Peking wanted to avoid when it banned local authorities from edifice munificent business offices earlier this year.

Gushi, Henan's most thickly settled county, is predominantly rural, with nearly 90% of its 1.6 million people living in villages.

Although China's economical roar have got reached the county, husbandmen have not benefited as much as urban residents.

Low life standards

Villagers' norm income last twelvemonth was just 3,251 kwai ($436, £209).

Even the local authorities paints a blue image of life criteria for ordinary people, reporting that a 3rd deficiency safe imbibing water.

In respective southern areas, husbandmen are being relocated because of a deficiency of clean water, no electricity and mediocre conveyance links.

Many local people have got had to go forth their small towns and traveling to China's flourishing large metropolises to happen work, sending the money they gain back place to relatives.

Despite this poverty, the local authorities is edifice itself a series of new, expansive business office edifices on the outskirts of the county town.

The centre-piece is the "administration service centre", a mammoth chemical compound made up of six blocks built around a cardinal square.

According to the Economic Information Daily, a national state-run newspaper, it is costing more than than 100 million kwai to build.

The same newspaper states the county's yearly gross is just 260 million yuan.

And the local government's chief business office is not the lone new populace edifice going up on the western border of town.

There is a museum, dedicated to tracing local people's roots, and a nearly-finished office for the agency of labor and societal security.

A new edifice for the land and resources disposal is also planned, and the local People's Depository Financial Institution of People'S Republic Of China subdivision looks like the United States Washington building.

'Exaggerated budget'

Not surprisingly, local functionaries are loath to speak about the projects.

Cao Benguo, an functionary with the county's promotion department, was visibly uncomfortably when asked about the strategy by the BBC.

You should inquire the county leadership why they are building these epicurean edifices while we dwell like this

Local farmer

He said the undertakings would convey together all authorities departments, currently scattered around the county town, in one place.

"It's very inconvenient if people don't cognize where to happen us," he explained, although the current authorities central office is in the town centre.

He added that the mass media had overdone the budget for the work.

It is only costing 30 million yuan, Mister Cao said, although he did not state whether this was for one edifice or all of them.

He declined to reply any additional inquiries about the scheme.

Local anger

Farmers living in Banliyuan village, about one-half an hour's thrust South of the county town, cognize small of the edifice projects.

"We are just farmers. We make not cognize anything," said villager Hu Xinghua.

But they are angry at a local disposal they state makes small for ordinary people.

One ailment Centres on a re-afforestation project. Villagers state they have got got completed the work, but have yet to acquire their money.

Most local people dwell on less than a $436 (£209) year

They also kick that their small town have few facilities.

Water is drawn from a well and some places make not have got electricity.

"You should inquire the county leadership why they are building these epicurean edifices while we dwell like this," said one farmer, pointing to the bedraggled places around him.

Local people could perhaps be forgiven for knowing small about the new authorities edifices - the undertaking is not being trumpeted by county officials.

In a keynote address delivered earlier this year, Fang Bo, the caput of the county government, promised to finish 10 major undertakings in 2007.

He promised to construct schools, clinics and old people's homes, as well as gap roads, cleaning up H2O stores and preparation one thousands of workers.

But there was no reference of the new authorities buildings.

Mr Bo also promised to "oppose luxury and waste, and concentrate limited fiscal resources to finish large things, practical things".

Construction halted

Opposing luxury was one of the grounds why earlier this twelvemonth Peking sought to curtail the amount spent on local authorities offices.

New regulations came in after a series of dirts involving corrupt local functionaries who built munificent business office blocks that appeared to be more than like five-star entertainment venues.

Officials have got kept quiet about the edifice project

Perhaps Peking have belatedly enforced its new ordinances in Gushi because work on many of the county's new authorities business offices have now stopped.

Rusty staging environments the centre-piece building, workers have got disappeared and eminent Cranes sit down idle.

Local building workers supply another ground for the interruption in work - they state the county have run out of money.

But whatever the reason, it almost certainly have nil to make with the sentiments of ordinary people in the county.

A chief at one of the few authorities building land sites that are still working gave voice to the aweary surrender expressed by many local people.

"When ordinary people talk out, it doesn't add up to anything," he said.