Originally a farmer, in Shenzhen CY worked in a kitchen at the Shangri-la Hotel in Xili and then went to eastern Huizhou to run a small, organic farm. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make a living as a farmer. Now he’s selling organic organic congee, buns, and medicinal teas. and sourcing his material through a network of “farm friends 农友.” CY’s restaurant used to be a first story apartment, which has been divided. In the other section of the house, a bike repairer lives. It’s the low rent that brought them to Yuanling. A two- or three-bedroom apartment can rent for as little as 5,000 rmb a month. He pays 3,100 for his section of the divided apartment.
CY’s set up is part of the re-occupation of older housing stock to create a vibrant neighborhood in a block formed between Shangbu Road in the west and Hongling Center Road in the east and Hongli Road in the south and Sungang Road in the north. Located east of Bagualing and west of Huaqiangbei, Yuanling 园岭 was one of the first large-scale and planned residential areas in the city, where many of the earliest managers lived. Yuanling offers renters adequate infrastructure, cheap housing and a great location.
If the architecture and vibe seem familiar–even if you’ve never been to Shenzhen–its because Yuanling housing estates were modeled on northern work units. There were shared public space, narrow roads with shops, and easy access to nearby factories. As space, Yuanling works wonderfully, with semi-shared spaces making it a fun place to have coffee, snacks and, of course, organic Cantonese treats.
So why am I worried?
The National Congress has announced a three part housing policy that will accelerate urban reconstruction projects. First, anything built before 2000 is now included in urban renewal plans. Second, more urban village housing will be added to that which is eligible for renewal. Third, there is to be a push to upgrade and finish infrastructure construction. Friends in Shekou are worried because this makes most of the Yuan Geng era architecture that remains vulnerable to demolition, making it even harder to remember the golden years. However, as inner district urban villages have been demolished or upgraded, some of the most entrepreneurial neighborhoods in Shenzhen can be found in neighborhoods like Yuanling, which are precisely the target of the new policy.
Shenzhen Noted 
Lived in YUANLING for 10 years from primary school till junior high… Had a mixed feeling obersving the gentrification process of my community. YUANLING/BAGUALING gradually takes the role of being a budget friendly city village within eastern FUTIAN (are there any city village left crossing HUANGGANG road?). Spontaneous renewal at micro-level was done thanks to the increasing number of coffee shops, bakeries, vintage stores etc. New consumer’s scene has forced 街道办 and FT district to make effort to merely maintain the functioning of the infrastructures like fire hydrants and energy supply… While large-scale reno seems very hard for YUANLING becuase of its location with astronomical cost. The last time when estate developers tried to push for a renewal can be dated back to 2008-09 while failed at collecting consensus if I recall it right. Then the second time in 2016-18 also failed as they only want to include couple of buildings facing HONGLI rd. The city decided to intervene around 2009-2011 under the pressure of 2011 Universiade. “Decoration 穿衣戴帽工程” project brought new fence (you can tell from pics where little stores crank them open as gates), wet market, new roads & sewage, LED street lamps, CCTV, water-proof painting on 106 buildings (cunningly excluded buildings not facing a road). Rumors from the native neighbours, mostly retired civil servants implying that the government would not consider any large scale renwal for at least 10 years after this. Now a decade has gone and YUANLING missed the golden age of large scale reno in FUTIAN like those demolished before COVID in BINHE/XIABUMIAO, HUAFU & HUAXIN new villages. Most likely the potential urban renewal will be carried out in the similar appproach of 2011. Just to comply with the new NPC policy, while this approach could also be the potnetial “model” (SZ’s fav!) for urban renewal given its scale and location at the heart of FT. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for discovering YUANLING’s vibe in your blog!! A place conserves my boyhood as well as a glimpse of the older version of SZ in early years of 21st. If demolishing style of urban renewal arrives, guess I’ll just see my memories in YUANLING in my dream, just like the way I do now : )
Thanks for getting in touch and sharing your story. Yuanling and the “old FT” developments were great, especially the scale of development with walking streets and dense commercial areas.