My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 383 Managing a Small Town is Like Cooking Braised Pork
It was the 1980s, and nothing was perfect.

They even let someone as completely ignorant as him give unsolicited advice on architectural styles and urban planning.

Fortunately, Wei Dong was only given the general framework, and not allowed to get involved in the specific details.

Chi Shih-ming also arrived with the architecture and planning experts.

Although at this time they are all "prefecture-level cities" under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province.

Jiangzhou began as the wartime capital of the Republic of China and became a major rear area for heavy industry in the country. After liberation, it became a leading city, a key player in the Third Front construction, and a separate city in the reform and opening-up plan.

It still ensured that its technological foundation far surpassed that of Shangzhou.

The sheer number of universities there far surpasses the zero-university status of the port city at the Three Gorges estuary.

The experts and professors can simply copy and paste the "small block" model from the Economic Development Zone to Shangzhou without any changes.

The main surprise is that both sides have such large-scale urban development. Can you, boss, manage to support them?
At this point, it may be difficult for many people to understand how many new and varied sources of funding there are in the real estate industry.

At least those Hong Kong locals who are familiar with the pre-sale model have figured it out: "Isn't this very similar to the architectural style of the Mong Kok area in Kowloon?"

It's the kind of narrow, bustling street that's often seen in Hong Kong movies, with signs everywhere and air conditioner windows and clotheslines hanging on both sides.

It is actually a small block divided into long grids.

It can almost be considered the most distinctive urban style of Hong Kong, which is deeply imprinted in the minds of one or two generations along with Hong Kong films and TVB dramas.

So Wei Dong wanted to replicate this: "Tokyo is the same. What we need at this stage is a lively atmosphere, bustling streets that attract people to move in and quickly create a vibrant living environment. Instead, we need to build green communities, which take up a lot of space, are expensive, and create distance between them."

The 180 dormitory units I bought in Jiangzhou before, and the three buildings currently under construction behind the free market, are all standard examples of the current urban and rural development and construction model.

A cluster of Khrushchev buildings, spaced apart, with open spaces and greenery in between.

Aside from the later criticism of its monotonous and rigid design, the environment seemed acceptable at first glance.

It has a sense of peace and contentment.

Without property management, these vacant lots quickly become either dirty and messy or are shamelessly occupied by people who grow vegetables and build sheds.

The probability of it being dirty and messy is very high.

Thirty or forty years later, the most common type of residential complex in urban and rural areas of China, with its emphasis on plot ratio and landscape planning, is also poorly maintained.

Let Wei Dong start by talking about how the old leader talked about the household responsibility system, how farmland was divided among families, and how water conservancy projects were gradually left unmaintained, and then extend that idea to the construction of the community.

We led the experts to the riverside development site and provided on-site explanations.

Now there is only a broken cement road, with either overgrown barren slopes or a few dilapidated old warehouses and houses on both sides.

That saved us the trouble of demolition.

No need for photos; a large number of architectural and planning experts have already been working on projects in the Economic Development Zone.

very familiar.

Hong Kong and Tokyo have served as models for this approach, with buildings constructed in dense, small blocks, each with its own freely varying sizes and heights, creating a harmonious and orderly layout.

It's far less practical to simply merge one or two small blocks into parks, sports fields, and green landscapes that are maintained by dedicated staff.

Finally, this also echoes the architecture of North American urban areas, where a small block in a large area can be transformed into a commercial complex, a large supermarket, a hospital, a school, or even a temple.

Moreover, based on Wei Dong's forty years of experience as a security guard, he finds the kind of division where each community is separated and sealed off, prohibiting outsiders from entering or leaving, quite annoying.

Many people complain online that cities have lost their human touch after they grow up, largely due to the separation of these residential communities.

There was nowhere to go on the cold, deserted streets.

The local life in those third-tier factories and old urban areas is particularly strong.

In any case, Wei Dong wouldn't be involved in how things develop in the future; he felt he was just offering some minor improvements during this transitional and reformal phase.

It avoids the repetitive and rudimentary Khrushchev-style buildings of that era, and also avoids the wasteful and vacant large-scale residential complexes of later generations.

This was a compromise solution implemented at the beginning of the housing reform.

Even if it may become outdated, need to be demolished, or require upgrades in the future.

At least in this phase, it can be rolled out quickly, efficiently, cost-effectively, and in a livable manner.

The architectural and planning experts from Jiangzhou all highly praised Comrade Rang Weidong for his ability to draw on the strengths of others and his unique vision.

They only suggested we get a slightly larger size at the very end.

To be honest, none of us have been abroad much; we've only seen the scenery from various books, documents, and a very few overseas architectural catalogs.

Chi Shih-ming only stays in Hong Kong.

How could Wei Dong have made such rapid progress, traveling from Tokyo to Los Angeles, all with a purposeful investigation and study?

It also compared urban and rural architecture with that of forty years later.

Finally, he wasn't stubborn.

Experts say that the 60 by 30 meter block size in Tokyo might be more suitable for detached house areas.
Imagine a neighborhood with streets on all four sides. Its advantage is that the ground floor of all four sides can be filled with shops, which is absolutely in line with the development of a commodity economy.

However, if a building is either a single tower or a group of individual buildings enclosed together, then there should be gaps between the buildings to prevent them from becoming too cramped.

In fact, the Jiangzhou Food Street, where Wei Dong bought his first apartment, has always had this unique style of small, individual buildings of varying heights since the wartime capital period. The problem is that the street is only 200 meters long, completely blocking out the shantytown behind it. Unable to participate in the prosperity, it has become a dirty and chaotic corner.

This is why Wei Dong prefers small neighborhoods. Just like braised dishes and braised pork, the smaller the pieces, the easier it is for the flavor to penetrate from all sides, and there are no undercooked corners.

But now when I mention it, everyone says "yes, yes, okay."

Let's discuss adjusting it to 80 meters by 40 meters. Jiangzhou is more spacious, so let's make the Xishan Building 100 meters by 50 meters.

Let's build it quickly and see which one is more suitable in the end.

Chi Shiming listened with great excitement. Even though it didn't give Wei Dong the feeling of a city-building game, it felt like the scale of the city was being controlled by us.

Especially in this prefecture-level city with a population of over 100,000, Wei Dong is now a force to be reckoned with.

Although he has tried to keep a low profile and basically doesn't leave the small area where the free market, sanitary napkin factory, food factory, or new construction site are located.

But their strength speaks for itself.

Not only officials from various departments, government agencies, banks, factories, and mines in the city, but also officials from various other places came to him to talk and chat.

From vendors in the free market and officers on duty in the streets to factory workers and managers, everyone treated him with the utmost respect, as if he were a lord.

Especially after Li Erfeng received the news, she brought a cook to live in the small building the next day to take care of her, which made her seem like a local tyrant.

Enraged, Wei Dong yelled at Li Erfeng, "Are you trying to get me shot?"

I'm living comfortably in a riverside guesthouse, eating in the canteen and focusing on my work—how pleasant!

In the evening, having some barbecue and drinks with experts in architecture, mechanical engineering, and biology is the perfect lifestyle that even the gods wouldn't trade.

Experts like to go fishing and cast their lines whenever they have free time.

If you adopt a landlord-like style and someone reports it to the old leader, wouldn't that make you seem arrogant and spoiled, ruining your image?

The farm girl pouted, but was also happy that he hadn't brought any women with him and was still rushing to the free market every morning to buy wild game and fresh fruits and vegetables.

If Wei Dong were to encounter her, he would immediately strike her on the head, but she stubbornly remained silent.

Lamu and Zhuoma must have figured out what the gossip was about; they concealed their thoughts well and skillfully cooperated with the young lady in cooking.

Wei Dong is going to scold Mao'er again, forbidding him from showing off the two mastiffs in the street. Our family absolutely cannot be ostentatious now.

However, these two brothers clearly understood the ways of the martial arts world. Despite their young age, they acted as if they were very experienced, appearing around Wei Dong and serving him enthusiastically.

As long as Weidong chats and makes small talk with people on the street, gesturing and explaining things, the two of them quietly isolate and block him from the surrounding area.

The understated technical skill was far superior to the later practice of a group of security guards bluffing for a celebrity.

Therefore, Wei Dong had no choice but to strive to be more approachable.

A good trick can be used for a long time.

play basketball.

During the day, she communicates and holds meetings with experts from different departments. At six o'clock in the evening, she goes to the canteen of the sanitary napkin factory to get her food and eat. After Zhuoma collects the bowls and chopsticks to wash them, Lhamo quietly serves her a cup of hot tea.

According to their habits, they would definitely add some milk, but Wei Dong wouldn't like the taste. Not wanting to dampen the enthusiasm of the young comrade for hard work, they asked them to make some fruit juice. The fruit-flavored milk tea they made actually looked quite decent.

I watched the news broadcast while squeezed into the cafeteria, and only after I had digested my food did I change into sneakers and shorts and head to the free market.

About a week later, he also encouraged the construction company he had gradually become familiar with to participate in playing pickup basketball.

Even at the intersection, people were already calling out to Comrade Weidong and Brother Dong to come and play ball.

Wei Dong's casual greetings and easy conversation made him especially approachable to the construction workers, sanitary napkin factory workers, and food factory workers, who were particularly enthusiastic about him.

Otherwise, these workers, who are mostly rural laborers, rarely step into the bustling and noisy free night market.

The Freedom Night Market, which had already become a new hotspot for Shangzhou residents at night, is now even more bustling with people.

Many people actually came specifically at night to get close to Wei Dong.

So Lhamo carried the teacup, and Zhuoma carried the towel, both keeping a distance from Li Erfeng so as not to disturb his "work-social exercise".

The rules are all set by the boss. Any team of five players plays three balls to determine the winner. If the score is not decided within five minutes, they play rock-paper-scissors to switch teams.

Only the winner can remain on the field.

He doesn't choose skilled players to team up with; he just randomly picks whoever he encounters and joins in: "Sure, sure, let's play. That big guy of theirs is from the sports committee; going up against him in the paint is just asking for trouble."

"Oh no, oh no, I made a mistake!"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop playing the game. I can tell you're looking down on me or something..."

The atmosphere was naturally fantastic.

After a few minutes of intense, sweat-drenched battles on the field, you can chat with him from any distance.

The release of hormones brought about by exercise is particularly intense and smooth, without any ulterior motives or scheming.

Li Erfeng wanted to squeeze in and offer her some words of comfort, but her girlfriends all knew to quietly pull her back. What a scene it must have been for her older brother!

He was just playing ball, and there were so many people watching him.

Today, many people are finally asking: "Are they going to start building new houses and selling new apartments?"

"The city has issued a new document to completely stop the allocation of welfare housing. Could it be true?"

"Haven't we always been allocated housing? How come everyone will have to buy their own homes in the future?"

"People from all over the country came to Shangzhou for study and research, and none of them heard of this regulation. Isn't someone targeting Shangzhou?"

History always repeats itself. When change comes, prejudice can cause many people to miss the opportunity to change their fate.

(End of this chapter)