Congress to tackle crime, rich-poor divide and architectural makeover
Guangzhou lawmakers will gather for their annual congress on Monday as city leaders start to take note of the need to tackle social problems after three decades of breakneck growth.
Delegates to the 13th Guangzhou People's Congress will also elect a new leadership, a year ahead of the end of the government's normal five-year term.
Over the next few years, the plan is to transform Guangzhou from a crowded city dotted with crumbling pre-war buildings and the 1970s and '80s ugly architecture into a sleek modern cityscape with planned districts, architectural landmarks and a complete subway system.
Zhu Xiaodan's appointment as party boss in July and his immediate focus on tackling the high crime rate - along with last month's pledge to help residents grow rich collectively - indicate that the city will direct its attention to the human side of development.
'It won't just be a change of leaders, but a likely change in development direction,' said Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences scholar Peng Peng .