Guangzhou lift installations bring relief to seniors

AS Liu Ming leaves his apartment, he is always careful to check all his belongings: ID card, keys, money, phone, pills, shopping bag.

Liu lives in fear of forgetting something when he goes out because he lives on the eighth floor and, without an elevator, climbing the stairs again is like climbing a mountain for the 68year-old.

Liu, who lives in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, has worn out his knees by climbing the stairs every day and he even has to pay extra money when parcels are delivered.

“It’s annoying and tiresome,” Liu said. “Installing an elevator in our building has been one of my preoccupations for years.”

In the middle of January, Guangzhou’s lift installation project reached his building.

About 1,000 old buildings have had lifts installed in the past two years in Guangzhou, according to the city’s land resources commission.

Most of them are old buildings like Liu’s that were built in 1980s when reform and opening up had just begun. To save costs, most buildings with fewer than nine floors were built without elevators.

Deng Kanqiang, a Guangzhou urban renewal bureau official, said renovations of old neighborhoods can substantially improve quality of life. “The work is demanding and the government has to solve numerous disputes over the rights and interests of residents.”

Elevator installations require the agreement of two thirds of the owners of any building.

“Opposition comes mainly from residents on lower floors and mostly concerns safety, fees and noise,” said Wei Tingsheng, a volunteer at the lift office, set up specially to deal with the problems of elevator installations.

“Besides, old buildings have no space for an elevator so they have to be installed outside the buildings, which can cause problems with natural light in the apartments,” he added.

“However, we have gained experience in dealing with people’s problems and concerns, and become better at helping residents reach agreement in their negotiations.”

With the help of Wei, residents in Liu’s building held several rounds of negotiations before reaching a consensus.