回不去的故乡：中国城镇化运动

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Ian Johnson, 回不去的故乡：中国城镇化运动. 纽约时报中文网, July 15, 2013 (in the series 离开土地)
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20130714/c14chinaurban/

, which is translated from

Ian Johnson, Chinese Hit Pitfalls Pushing Millions off Farm. New York Times, July 14, 2013 (front page; in the series Leaving the land: Theory meets practice)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/1 ... m-farm-to-city.html

Quote:

(a) "the removal of 2.4 million farmers from mountain areas in the central Chinese province of Shaanxi to low-lying towns, many built from scratch on other farmers’ land. The total cost is estimated at $200 billion over 10 years.

(b) "During a visit in February, townspeople sat in their front yards, huddled around open fires. Their homes were brand-new, with indoor heating and modern appliances, just as Mr. Li’s plan envisions, but it all runs on an unaffordable luxury: electricity. Hence the fires to keep warm.

“'Back when we lived in the mountains we had monthly electric bills of 10 yuan,' or renminbi (about $1.60), said Lin Jiaqing, a farmer who moved to Qiyan two years ago. 'But one month we had to pay 670 yuan” — about $110 — “so from now on we don’t heat or even use the washing machine.'


Note:
(a)
(i) The English original (but not the translation) has a side bar titled "Voices From China," which excerpts Chinese-language postings of China and translates them into English by New York Times.

"我妈为了征地的事情好几天没睡好了，其实最好是别跟政府硬碰硬，否则吃亏的终将是我们

"Mom hasn’t slept for days because she’s worried about losing our land. But it’s best not to fight the government directly because in the end, we'll get the short end of the stick.
(ii) The short end of the stick. The Phrase Finder, undated
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/end-of-the-stick.html
("'The short end of the stick' is by far the most commonly used form of the phrase. That is rather odd, in that the ends of sticks can be dirty or pointy, they can even be iridescent or hirsute, but it is difficult to see how they can be short")

(b) Photo 1 of 15 says in PRINT, "A Vanishing Village[:] Qiyan’s hill residents are being urged to move to the urbanized valley. A 2010 landslide is cited to justify the move.”

Qiyan 七堰村 (recently replaced by a town 镇 of the same name)
(c) Photo 2 caption says in print, "The Master Mover[:] Li Yongping is directing the relocation of 2.4 million farmers in Shaangxi to towns") in the slide shows has two slides projected behind the official. My guess is the right photo shows the father in front of his old house, and the left photo, the entire family in front of a new house.”
(d) Photo 15 says in print, "A Changing Landscape[:] Apartment blocks rise in Ankang, in southern Shaanxi, replacing villages and farms."

陕西省 安康市
(e) Online (but not in print) the English report has a satellite photo, whose caption states, "Satellite photographs show the transformation of Jiujiangzhen, near Chengdu, in Sichuan Province."

四川省成都市双流县 九江镇