The Chinese Mayor
Watch the documentary The Chinese Mayor.
In your discussion post briefly answer all of the following questions:
1. What is Mayor Geng’s vision for Datong and what does the project entail?
2. What cultural amenities does Datong possess?
3. How do citizens of the old city communicate with government to make their complaints?
4. How does the mayor respond? Why are many told that there’s nothing that can be done for them?
5. How does Mayor Geng get re-elected? What is the process?
6. What happens to Ying’s home?
7. How many households are demolished during Geng’s term?
8. What seems to be the relationship between politicians’ ambition and urban projects?
9. What happens to Mayor Geng and his Datong project? How do townspeople react?
10. Making reference to the short videos in this week’s modules, evaluate what you see as the fate of the urban poor in contemporary, “booming” China.
