Scenic Chinese area with London Tower Bridge knockoff is choking with rubbish

A canal near a scenic area in the Xiangcheng district of Suzhou, which features a replica London Tower Bridge, is full of rubbish and other pollution, the online news platform News.2500sz.com reports.

At the southwest corner of the bridge, the river bank is piled with rubbish and building waste. Some buildings are being demolished and many residents have moved away. Those who remain are mainly elderly residents.

The lack of hygiene isn’t a new issue: a Weibo post from the area in September showed a large pile of rubble blocking a building’s entrance. Another showed an open garbage dump and complained about tenants defecating on the streets.

An official in charge of a water station said sediment and residue at the bottom of Yuanhe Pond had not been cleared in years. The water level has been low recently, due a dry spell affecting the region: the water has turned yellow.

The official also said that some of his staff had seen workers at nearby construction sites secretly dumping rubble into the river, but they had no proof of wrongdoing.

Suzhou is a 2,500-year-old city renowned for its extensive network of canals, bridges and historic buildings, and can claim with some justification the title “Venice of the Orient”.