龙须沟

Clutching your noses, imagine yourselves transported back to 1950s Beijing. The Longxugou, once a clear waterway built during the Ming Dynasty, now stagnates. It’s a festering ditch filled with a putrid mix of red and green sludge. Garbage, rags, and worse, dead animals and occasionally even a dead child, float on the surface. The stench from nearby tanneries and dye houses mixes with the raw sewage and human waste. For decades, the Longxugou remained neglected. It became known as the “stinking ditch,” a place to be avoided. Along its banks, huddled the poorest residents of Beijing, crammed into dilapidated shacks. Their homes, constantly threatened by collapse, lacked basic amenities like toilets and clean water. They drank from wells, the water foul-tasting and contaminated. Swarms of flies, mosquitos, and other insects plagued the area, spreading disease. Whenever it rained, the streets turned into mud pits, and the ditch overflowed. Filthy water, carrying waste and excrement, flooded the low-lying courtyards and homes. In the summer, during periods of heavy rain, the stench was unbearable. Dead animals and even children would wash up from the overflowing ditch. People felt like insects themselves, helplessly caught in a nightmare. This was the grim reality of Longxugou before its transformation. The dire conditions prompted the newly established People’s Government to act. In 1950, the Longxugou renovation project became one of the first major urban renewal projects undertaken by the Communist Party. The project received 2.25% of the city’s budget. Thousands of soldiers joined local residents in the effort. Some workers dug with iron shovels. Others simply used their hands and bowls to remove the foul sludge. By November 1950, after months of relentless work, the first phase of the project was complete. Almost 200 meters of the open ditch had been covered over, and underground sewage pipes were installed. Roads and streetlights were built. The residents of Longxugou finally had access to electricity and running water. Lao She, the renowned playwright, was so moved by the transformation of Longxugou that he wrote a play of the same name. The play, “Longxugou,” depicts the lives of the residents before and after the renovation. It captures their struggles, their resilience, and their hopes for a better future. It celebrates the government’s commitment to improving the lives of ordinary people. The play became a national sensation. It is a testament to the power of art to reflect and inspire social change. Even today, the story of Longxugou serves as a reminder of the importance of public works and the impact they can have on people’s lives.