Destroyed building a warning to officials

The government in Weng'an county of Southwest China's Guizhou province preserved the ruins of a building destroyed by protesters four years ago, making it a permanent warning for officials to respect public opinion.

Sha Xiangui, Party chief of the county, said on Sept 10 that government officials should learn from the destroyed building, which will remind them of the public protest and make them remember the duty to serve the people, according to a report of Xinhua News Agency.

The building, former headquarters of the county government, was set on fire on June 28, 2008 by angry protesters who did not believe the government's explanation of the death of a middle school girl.

The girl was found dead in a river a week earlier, and the official autopsy result said that she committed suicide, but her family members suspected that she was murdered after being raped.

When more than 300 people, including some of her classmates, marched in front of the government building to claim justice for her, protesters clashed with police and hurled burning bottles at the building.

The conflict, which lasted nearly seven hours, left more than 150 people injured, 104 rooms in government buildings destroyed, and 42 vehicles smashed.

The government set up a billboard close to the ruins that says "water can float a boat, and can overturn it" – a famous Chinese metaphor to describe the relationship between the people and government.

To promote the livelihood of the local residents, the Weng'an government spent 1.1 billion yuan ($174 million) last year on infrastructure and improved transparency in decision-making, said the Xinhua report.

A provincial government survey showed that 97 percent of Weng'an residents said they felt safe in 2011, a sharp increase from 59 percent in 2007, the Xinhua report said.