With a population equal to that of a small European country, Langfang is among the biggest stops along the proposed route of the Seventh Ring. (Click image to enlarge).
To make the 40-minute drive to Langfang from Beijing is to glimpse into the future of the proposed Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei megalopolis. Although separated from the capital by an ever-eroding sliver of farmland, Langfang doesn’t so much appear, as it does leak slowly onto the horizon, meshing with Beijing’s outermost suburbs in a near-continuous conurbation of new and partially-completed concrete developments.
With a population equal to that of a small European country, Langfang is among the biggest stops along the proposed route of the Seventh Ring. Yet despite its considerable size – official estimates put it at over 4 million – and relative proximity to Beijing, the city remains something of an enigma.
Ask a Beijinger to describe this prefecture-level city and most will come up blank. Unlike neighboring Tianjin, and to a lesser degree Baoding, Langfang has no single, identifiable trait. Its landscape is flat and uninspiring, its architecture plain. Even its environment – ranked among the most polluted in northern China – is resolutely gray.
It’s nearing 7am by the time we arrive in central Langfang and the city’s streets are a noisy mess of electric bikes, trucks and slow-moving construction machinery. Outwardly, the city appears to be undergoing a period of transformation – much of the downtown area resembles a building site, while billboards advertising new apartments line the city’s major roads.
In the large central square, groups of limber seniors perform traditional dance routines, while others – mainly school children – look on. It is here we meet 79-year-old local resident Zhao Zhenhe, a former Beijinger who moved to Langfang after his hutong was demolished in the early 1990s.
“Langfang has always been in Beijing’s shadow,” says Zhao, in between puffs on a cigarette. “I think people here don’t care much about the Seventh Ring, because as far as they’re concerned, for better or worse, they’re already connected [to Beijing].”
That connection is relative, however. Having lived in Beijing for most of his life, Zhao still views Langfang as remote. “We have none of the benefits that come from living in a big city – no culture. I hope in the future Langfang can be integrated into Beijing and develop.”
The idea of Langfang as a ‘spillover’ town was further enhanced in April this year when it announced an economic partnership with Xicheng District Government in Beijing. Ostensibly a means of alleviating pressure on the capital, the move will see much of Xicheng’s low-grade industry relocate to Langfang from next year. Media reports initially suggested that this would include Beijing’s famous Zoo Market, though officials have since attempted to play down reports, stating only that the deal would include an unspecified “wholesale market.”
In the city’s working class northeastern suburbs, business is brisk but by no means booming. The reason, according to Ms. Liu, the owner of a small toy shop, is the arrival of what she refers to as “outsiders.” Pointing at one of the countless cranes that hover over the city’s skyline, she counters that few of the new developments benefit local residents.
“Most of those buying houses in Langfang, work in Beijing, earn money in Beijing and spend money in Beijing,” she says. “If we want to buy an apartment, we will have to move elsewhere. All these new people are pricing us out of the market.”
The city’s rapid growth (Langfang’s population has almost doubled since the early 90s) has been spurred, in part, by an influx of migrant workers keen to cash in on its construction boom.
At a nearby building site, workers talk enthusiastically of above-average pay. According to 40-year-old Yu Zhike, who has worked in Langfang for 12 years and is originally from Lanzhou, Gansu, workers can expect to make three to four times the amount they would elsewhere in China.
“When I first arrived there was nothing – no infrastructure, no sewage, no working toilets. Everything you see today is new,” he explains. “But there are not enough workers [in Langfang]. So the pay is competitive. Personally, I plan to stay so long as there’s work. Life is good for me here.”
It’s a similar story at the Longhe Industrial Park, home to Foxconn, the company responsible for manufacturing and assembling iPhones. Here, some 60,000 workers are recruited from across China to help meet rising demand.
Our arrival at the front gates of the Foxconn complex coincides with the final day of work for its live-in summer employees. Thousands of (mostly college-aged) workers stream out, suitcases in hand. Unlicensed taxis and minivans swarm the roads. The mood is one of excitement.
Summer worker Huang Wei tells us that the majority of those leaving the plant are contracted through their schools and universities in places such as Henan.
“I come here only for the money, to help pay for my studies. In the future, I definitely won’t do this kind of job, it’s not promising,” he says.
Back in the city center, opposite the central square we find the ‘New Century Walking Street’. Originally built in the mid-90s, the European-style parade appears to have fallen on hard times. Still described by various online outlets as the city’s most prized tourist attraction, the street is now depressingly dilapidated. The ‘grand’ central staircase has quite literally collapsed, the main buildings are crumbling, the flowerbeds dead or overgrown.
Nevertheless, it continues to house a number of small independent clothing stores. Inside one, the manager tells us that business is tough but dependable. “Most of the people who buy clothes here are not local. Many of them are construction workers who come to Langfang to make money. As Langfang develops, I expect more people to come and for my business to improve – even though the buildings are old,” she explains. “Connection is a positive thing.”
But not everyone agrees. As closing time approaches, Mr. Zheng, a local furniture trader is preparing to go home for the night. “The Seventh Ring will only increase competition and further suffocate local Langfang businesses,” he tells us.
“For years, Beijing has been digging holes and waiting for us to jump in – we are always fooled by this idea of development. But who really benefits from the development? Not me. People in Langfang are given no say in the process. As Langfang develops, it will be Beijingers who get all the benefits.”