Host city gets a sporting facelift

Beijing did it, and so did Shanghai. So why not Guangzhou?

This city of 10 million people in southern China has been thrust into the spotlight as the host of the Asian Games that got under way last Friday.

The event has offered Guangzhou an opportunity to emulate Beijing, which transformed itself for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and Shanghai, which went on a construction spree for the recently completed Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The Guangzhou city government has earmarked more than 1 trillion yen (US$12.1 billion) for urban redevelopment and infrastructure projects.

At the same time, the city must grapple with glaring contradictions, not the least of which is a growing disparity in wealth among residents.

A new symbol of Guangzhou's prosperity was completed in October along the banks of the Pearl River. A 610-meter TV tower offers panoramic views of the city, and its observation deck, at a height of 433 meters, has been attracting several thousand visitors daily despite the 150 yuan (about 1,800 yen) cost of a ticket.

"This area used to be nothing but rice fields, but now there are buildings everywhere," said Zhang Yongbiao, 71, who was visiting from neighboring Foshan. "I have been able to see with my own eyes the level of development in Guangzhou."

- THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

(JAPAN)