Narrow alleys, ramshackle houses, overcrowded rooms; all these make up the rundown Yuzhouhong (literally “Universe Red”) shantytown situated in western Beijing. When it rains heavily, like it did Tuesday night, residents have to take out planks and use quilts to barricade their doors and prevent the rainwater from rushing into their below-alley-level rooms. This does not always turn out to be successful, though. Places like Yuzhouhong can be found in another 526 areas of the main districts located within the city’s Fourth Ring Road. According to an investigative survey conducted by the Beijing municipal government, there are 230,000 households, or 700,000 residents living in and suffering from the Penghuqu (or shantytowns) in the capital’s downtown areas. The city will spend 500 billion yuan (US$81 billion) over the following five years to transform the 527 shantytowns, according to a press release from the Beijing Municipal Commission for Housing and Urban-Rural Development on July 24. [Photo by Zhang Lulu/China.org.cn]