Life of Guangzhou - Guangzhou Looks for 'Civic Virtue'

Plans to introduce regulations designed to instill a sense of civic virtue in residents of Guangzhou's low-income housing complexes by deducting points for unruly behavior, have come under fire from some quarters as impractical and discriminatory.

A review of developments under consideration around the Tangde Gardens complex in Guangzhou show there are plans to construct 13,000 low-income housing units in the three surrounding lots over the coming few years. And the residents will be bound by new regulations.

The new regulations, the first of their kind in Mainland China, list 29 separate offenses, divided into four categories ranging from "minor" to "very serious." Violators would be penalized with deductions of three up to 20 points, depending on the seriousness of the offense.

Tenants whose total deductions reach or exceed 20 points within a period of two years would lose their right to rent subsidized accommodations and be barred from applying for low-income housing for the following five years.

Economic Observer reports that the new regulations have triggered wide public opposition, with some critics going so far as to say that the regulations "discriminate against the poor."

[More Guangzhou News]