The demolition of old buildings has been a critical issue for mainland governments for years, with too many disputes caused by forced demolitions and too many evicted residents left injured or dead.
That makes a major shift in demolition policies in Guangzhou, strongly advocated by Guangdong party secretary Wang Yang, worth keeping an eye on.
Wang, a rising star believed to be destined for a bigger role in the upper echelons of the Communist Party soon, surprisingly asked Guangzhou last month to postpone plans to knock down all its urban villages and instead think about preserving old buildings.
An editorial in the Nanfang Daily - mouthpiece of the provincial propaganda department - described his comments, made during a visit to Italy, as 'astonishing'.
They overturned an aggressive development plan, formulated by the provincial capital just two years ago, to rebuild all its 138 urban villages in 10 years, with the first 52 to be completed by 2013.
Unlike many similar edicts aimed at curbing forced demolitions that failed to work, the Guangzhou authorities soon fell into line with Wang's suggestion.
