Fall of 'Mayor Bulldozer' welcomed by Nanjing residents
Ex-Nanjing leader gained critics with grandiose development plans that disrupted people's lives
When news came this month that Nanjing's mayor had been removed, Qiu Ziming, a reporter, was one of many local residents who lit fireworks along the streets in an impromptu celebration of his downfall.
The transgressions that earned such hostility towards the mayor, Ji Jianye, were his demolition and reconstruction projects across large swathes of the city, a move favoured by some mainland officials as a way to boost growth but unpopular among many residents. "Ji has done much damage to our city," Qiu said. "There have been so many complaints about him over the past years."
Qiu organised a protest in March 2011 when the mayor ordered dozens of sycamore trees cut down and thousands of them moved to make way for a subway project.
"Nanjing people have a deep emotional connection to the sycamore trees, which have been planted along major streets for decades and have become a symbol of the city's history," Qiu said.
Police had warned Qiu to back off with his protests. But the city government eventually dropped the tree-cutting plan as public resistance grew fierce.
The win was a small one amid the long list of Ji's projects.