InfrastructureIn China, corruption blamed for collapse of bridges

Since 2011 eight bridges have collapsed in China according to the state run media, including the Yangmingtan Bridge in the city of Harbin last November. The bridge was almost ten miles long and construction was originally estimated to take three years, but workers finished it in half the time. NPR reports that when the bridge collapsed, the first thing on people’s mind was corruption.

In March a bridge in China’s Hubei province snapped in half, sparking an online outburst from citizens including Zeo Niu, a college student from Harbin. “Corruption. It is the first thing that pops into our mind,” said Niu, 20. “We don’t have to think about it, because it’s so common.”’

Neo’s uncle, who runs a construction company in central China, was not surprised either.

“This analogy is made by my uncle,” Niu told NPR. “If the central government wants a steel bar, it should be 10 centimeters. When it comes to the province, it will be 8 centimeters, and when it comes to the city, it will be 5. This is very, very common. This is not news.”

According to some, corruption and failing infrastructure have been a problem in China since the 1990s when reforms pushed the country’s economy sky high. The government went on a building boom, but without any regulations, bid rigging became commonplace.

“The situation is going in a bad direction,” said Zhu in a phone interview from Beijing. “We do have relevant laws regarding the bidding process, but there is a lack of enforcement. The bidding process is only a show.”

In 2008, the most infamous case of failing infrastructure killed 700 children as an earthquake destroyed a poorly built elementary school.

“These were charity projects, and officials dared to skimp on the job and use low-quality materials,” Zhu said to NPR. “This was much worse than Harbin. Up until now, we haven’t seen any officials punished.”

While many people are outraged Yangmingtan Bridge collapse, people and officials were afraid to comment on it for fear of getting in trouble with the government.

Some people think infrastructure issues are abounding because there is no way to police the government. A man surnamed Zhang was not afraid to speak. “China’s civil society is not strong enough,” Zhang said at a local KFC. “It’s too fragmented and too weak and can’t force the party to make changes.”

While people are outraged about the problems, there is little they can do when it comes to fighting a government that controls everything including the media.

“We want to participate, but we aren’t the government,” said a chemistry doctoral student, who would only give his surname Sun. “We are just common people. We can give the government ideas. We can discuss this hot topic in private and online. That’s all we can do.”