China wants to rebuild countryside but first must demolish homes
Over the last several decades, China's population has shifted to cities as its economy expanded. However, more than 40 per cent of its people still continue to live in its countryside. And now, China's Communist Party wants to modernize rural villages by rebuilding them completely.An ordinary farmer from Shandong province along China's east coast, Mr. Liu, witnessed his home in a village near the city of Heze being demolished in January this year.“To demolish my home, about 100 security officers surrounded and subdued me and detained me,” he said.He then called the police. They beat and detained him. Mr Liu has asked to use only his last name because he fears local officials could physically hurt him again.Mr. Liu's village is one of thousands being torn down as China's countryside undergo