"Bridges, Stadiums, and Buildings Keep Collapsing! Why Is China Filled with Tofu-Dreg Projects?"

collapse incident at Gulo Hospital in Nanjing occurred on the afternoon of November 6, 2023. On that day, a video circulated online showing the sudden collapse of the ceiling on the fourth floor of the hospital's outpatient building, creating a shocking scene. In the video, hospital staff can be seen shouting and inquiring if anyone is trapped under the fallen ceiling while urging patients and their families to leave the danger zone. Numerous onlookers also appear in the video. According to publicly available information, Gulo Hospital in Nanjing, also known as the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, is one of China's earliest western hospitals and is a Grade A tertiary hospital. The hospital has been repeatedly commended by the Central Civilization Commission, Jiangsu Province, and Nanjing City as an advanced collective in the national creation of a civilized industry and a civilized unit, receiving various honorary titles from the National Health Commission. The ceiling collapse incident occurred on the fourth floor of the hospital's outpatient building, which houses the obstetrics and gynecology department and the gastrointestinal endoscopy department. Currently, it is unclear whether departments such as obstetrics and gynecology are able to operate normally, but according to hospital staff, the network is in a paralyzed state. The ceiling collapse incident exposes vulnerabilities in the hospital's safety management system, raising questions about the safety of hospital facilities. Many are concerned about the possibility of similar accidents recurring, prompting a focus on the safety of public buildings. It also prompts people to consider how to enhance the safety of public building structures, strengthen daily maintenance and supervision, and ensure the safety of lives and property. A woman breaks stone guardrail or shoddy construction again. On October 29, in Jiayang, Guangdong, a middle-aged woman was injured when a stone guardrail she was stretching by the river suddenly broke into several pieces. Officials' response to this incident stated, the guardrail's breakage is not due to engineering quality issues, but rather an accident caused by the excessive force used by the resident. The netizen who posted the video claimed that the woman suffered two broken bones. The video of the woman breaking the stone guardrail barehanded sparked attention, and netizens discussed whether it was due to the woman's excessive strength or the poor quality of the guardrail. Some said, Is the woman naturally super strong, or is it a substandard project? Others questioned, Is it shoddy construction or superhuman strength? This is not the fault of the elderly woman, but rather due to the poor quality of public facilities, it suggested that it's a substandard construction. A person could easily break it. This is obviously a case of cutting corners and just sticking stones together, and they'll weather and fall off in a few years. Then they'll have to be redone to make money. On November 12, near Zhongshan Elementary School, in Kiarutu Town, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, a four-story residential building undergoing renovation suddenly collapsed, burying four construction workers. It was known that all four individuals tragically lost their lives. Residents near the incident site revealed that the collapsed building was undergoing renovation at the time, with several construction workers inside. Unfortunately, they were unable to escape in time, and many were trapped inside the building. The official announcement from Yongjia County stated that a residential building in the process of renovation collapsed in Yantu Lane, Kiarutu Town, Yongjia County. Four individuals were trapped, and by 2 a.m. on the 12th, three of the trapped individuals were found, all of whom had unfortunately passed away. Zinhua News and Kaixin reported that as of 7 a.m. on the 12th, all four trapped individuals had shown no signs of life, confirming that they had all perished. On a fateful day, November 6, in the heart of Hulanan County, within Jiamusi City of Heilongjiang Province, a chilling catastrophe struck as the roof of a sports arena came crashing down, claiming the lives of three individuals and leaving two others in agony. This duty officer mentioned that they weren't authorized to disclose information regarding the incident and suggested the reporter get in touch with the county's propaganda department. Regrettably, repeated attempts to reach the Hulanan County Propaganda Department went unanswered. Notably, the Yuecheng Sports Club is an integral part of the Yuecheng Plaza, a flagship investment project of the county government. The collapsed gymnasium was part of the first phase of the Yuecheng Plaza Urban Complex Project. The Yuecheng Plaza project covers a total area of 35,163 square meters and started construction in July 2017, boasting an investment exceeding 400 million yuan, with multifaceted features encompassing shopping centers, recreational amenities, and residential quarters. Xinyuan News Agency reported that Building 7 within the complex, housing the Yuecheng Sports Club, spanned an impressive 3,208.96 square meters with a towering height of 9.5 meters. This structure successfully passed construction acceptance in July 2020. The eastern section comprised a two-story construction, featuring a robust concrete roof. In contrast, the western section, which tragically crumbled, covering an area of 675 square meters, featured an H-shaped cross-section steel beam roof structure. Since December 2022, the management of this sports center fell under the purview of Xinyangguang Fitness Club in Hulanan County, primarily dedicated to hosting basketball, table tennis, and badminton activities. This tragic event sent shockwaves through the region, reminiscent of a similar calamity just three months earlier. In July, the northeastern province of Heilongjiang witnessed the horrifying collapse of a school gymnasium in Kikihar, where a coach and 10 female volleyball players met their untimely demise. In the case of the Kikihar Gymnasium, it was attributed to the ill-advised storage of perlite on the roof, which soaked up rainwater, ultimately causing the structure to buckle under the weight. Some may philosophize that every snowflake bears guilt in this tragedy, implying that even nature played a role. However, astute observers point to grave concerns about the overall quality of construction in China's booming industry. If the authorities fail to take swift and decisive action to rectify these quality issues, it is feared that more innocent lives may be tragically lost. I don't want to talk about anything right now. I'm just looking at the final results of the paper investigation, said the family members of the victims of the collapsed roof accident at Yuecheng Sports Club in Hulanan County, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province to Jiamin News on Nov. 10, 2023. Currently, the families of the three deceased high school students are still gathering at the funeral home to visit their children. After the accident, the developer of the building, Heilongjiang Yuecheng Real Estate Development Limited Company, immediately came to the forefront. The Tianyansha app shows that the legal representative of the company is Wu Likian. The lay number of employees in Wu Likian's real estate development company was not large, all family members. The company did not have the corresponding qualification for construction engineering construction. The usual practice was to be affiliated with another qualified company. According to a 2019 judgment from the People's Court website, the Yijing Shengxi Community was developed and constructed by Yang Jinli. In 2012, through a company named Xinlong Real Estate, Yang Jinli did not have the corresponding qualification for construction engineering construction. The development of the allowed Wu Likian to make a lot of money on his books. The Tianyansha app shows that in 2018, Yuecheng Real Estate's revenue was 0 yuan. By 2019, the revenue of this company with only 15 people reached 141.7 million yuan. In the same year, the relevant part of the Yuecheng Plaza complex was completed. By 2020, Yuecheng Real Estate's revenue, although significantly reduced, was still 69.25 million yuan, and in 2021 it dropped to 12 million yuan. Calculated this way, Yuecheng Real Estate's total revenue for three years reached 222.72 million yuan. However, strangely, Yuecheng Real Estate was officially deregistered on May 11, 2022. For unknown reasons, the burning question on everyone's mind remains, are these roof collapses the result of shoddy, subpar construction practices, infamously known as tofu-dreg projects, or is Mother Nature solely to blame, unleashing her fury in the form of heavy snowfall? It's important to note that sports facilities like these are held to stringent safety standards, far beyond those of regular civilian structures. In times of crisis, the public instinctively seeks refuge in these buildings. The irony here lies in the fact that the arena's surrounding walls appeared to be secure, yet no one could have foreseen the relentless snowfall and its dire consequences. Nature's wrath often defies human control. This suggests that some deaths are tragically unavoidable, occurring suddenly and randomly. However, the stark reality within these sports complexes is quite the opposite. When they collapse, the deafening roar is akin to an earthquake or a violent explosion. As the influence of Chinese construction projects associated with the Belt and Road Initiative expands globally, Nepal's airport, funded and built by a Chinese state-owned enterprise group, is facing scrutiny due to concerns about subpar quality. The Belt and Road Initiative, led by the Chinese Communist Party, serves as a diplomatic tool amid heightened tensions with the United States. However, the substantial debt incurred by partner countries is exacerbating economic challenges. The Pika International Airport in Nepal, established by a Chinese state-owned enterprise, commenced operations in January of this year, a New York Times report alleges poor quality, suggesting that the Chinese company may have inflated the project cost. Nepal has launched an investigation into potential corruption issues, according to a CNA report, citing the New York Times on the 12th, as developing nations assess the ramifications of significant borrowing from China for major infrastructure endeavors. Anti-corruption officials in Nepal are scrutinizing the flagship airport financed and constructed by Chinese state-owned enterprises. The international airport in Pokhara, Nepal's second-largest city, with a construction cost of $216 million, began operations in January but has struggled to attract regular international flights. Concerns have arisen about its ability to generate adequate revenue to repay loans from Chinese lenders. Nepalese officials have sought Beijing's assistance in converting the loan into a grant to alleviate the financial strain, but the Chinese government has not acquiesced. Publicly available information from China indicates that the Paka International Airport was constructed by China's CC Engineering Company Limited, a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Machinery Industry Corporation. The project commenced in 2017, with the Chinese side emphasizing it as a showcase of Chinese engineering quality, symbolizing Nepal's national pride and exemplifying China-Nepal cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative. Previous reports from The New York Times suggested that China's CC Engineering Company Limited inflated the project cost, prioritizing its own commercial interests. Subsequent to this revelation, anti-corruption units in Nepal conducted raids on the offices of the Civil Aviation Authority in Pakura, seizing documents related to the project. Although Nepal's anti-corruption agency states that the investigation is in its early stages, there are indications of receiving over 20 complaints about the airport's quality. Insiders familiar with the investigation have conveyed engineers' concerns about compromised construction quality and insufficient infrastructure. Beneath the surface of diplomatic achievements and profitable ventures for Chinese state-owned enterprises lies a disconcerting reality. This costly airport, primarily built by a Chinese company with funding from Beijing, poses a substantial economic burden on Nepal, burdening the country with debt from Chinese financial institutions for years to come. Wu Zhuolai, a political commentator and independent scholar residing in California, told Voice of America that this is the second public building collapse to occur in the northeastern region of China. This should not be attributed solely to heavy snowfall because if that were the case, we would see many buildings collapsing due to heavy snow. Therefore, heavy snowfall cannot explain the root cause. The only reason is the quality of public buildings, which were constructed 10 or 20 years ago with substandard materials and workmanship. Wu Zhuolai pointed out that behind the use of substandard materials lies a significant amount of corruption and kickbacks in the construction industry. He explained that construction firms have no profit unless they use substandard materials. If construction firms have government connections, they can obtain approval for engineering testing, supervision, and inspections, which makes it difficult to ensure the quality of construction. This China Watcher highlighted that the negative aspects of China's decades-long reform and opening up are now becoming apparent. The Huanan Jiamusi Gymnasium collapse is not an isolated incident, and in the future, under external factors such as strong winds, snowstorms, and minor earthquakes, there may be a continuous occurrence of public and civilian building collapses. China is grappling with a pervasive and pressing issue known as tufu dregs constructions, a term that aptly describes the substandard quality of various infrastructure projects across the nation, ranging from residential apartments and bridges to subways and roads. This alarming trend has ignited concerns among Chinese citizens who now live in constant apprehension of potential collapses and safety hazards lurking in their daily lives. The deteriorating state of China's infrastructure, marked by the widespread prevalence of tofu dreg construction, is a grim reflection of the flip side of the country's remarkable development and modernization. It has reached such an alarming level that some have likened the situation to an emphasizing the severity of the impact these projects have on people's safety and well-being. While China's ability to bypass regulations and cut corners in construction allows for the expedited completion of infrastructure projects compared to their Western counterparts, this expediency comes at a significant cost. Safety and quality are often compromised in the process, putting the lives of millions at risk. Moreover, the construction of massive infrastructure projects in China, many of which remain unused or underutilized, has led to an alarming increase in CO2 emissions and the generation of colossal amounts of waste materials. This not only exacerbates environmental pollution, but also contributes to the degradation of the nation's fragile ecosystems. In essence, the Chinese Communist Party's inclination to prioritize saving face-to-face over saving lives has hindered the timely dissemination of crucial information during critical emergencies. This unfortunate reality underscores the urgent need for reforms in the construction industry and a re-evaluation of the nation's development priorities to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.