新加坡

When artist Zhu Xinru, 28, is unwell, the nearest doctor is an hour away by bus.儲存 When Madam Hu Fengling, 76, is bored, she has no immediate neighbours to chat with. When Madam Yang Feng, 60, buys vegetables, she minds that she has to pay more than people elsewhere.These are common complaints of residents at the Tianjin Eco-City, a budding township supported by the Singapore and Chinese governments that is going through growing pains as it marked its fifth birthday last month."Life here is not very convenient. Things are pricey," complains Madam Yang, pointing out that 500g of spring onions costing 1.20 yuan (20 Singapore cents) elsewhere may be thrice as much here.Madam Hu, a grandmother who is mostly home alone while her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild are at work or studying outside the Eco-City, said the nearby units in her apartment block are empty and her nearest neighbours live several floors away."I ask my son, what is this place that you have left me in? It's like a deserted island," she said.The Eco-City is the second government-led project between Singapore and China after Suzhou Industrial Park.Conceived by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in 2007, it aims to be a model of sustainable development for a fast urbanising China. Construction began in 2008.The city has won praise for its potential from foreign media and Chinese President Xi Jinping who visited in May. Mr Goh, who visited last month, said he was "very impressed" by the progress, though he acknowledged that there were challenges and expected that they would be sorted out.Those who say the ambitious 250 billion yuan project may end up a white elephant point to the slower-than-expected pace in attracting residents.Designed for a population of 350,000 on a 30 sq km site by 2023, it has drawn only 6,000 residents in a start-up area of 3 sq km over the past five years, well below the 10,000 expected by the end of last year.It has also signed up more than 1,000 firms, with a total registered capital of 70 billion yuan. More than 4,000 jobs have been created in the city.Several factors are at play.China's property cooling measures, which restrict multiple home purchases, have affected sales of apartments in the Eco-City, even though units are priced at about 9,000 yuan per sq m, compared with about 20,000 yuan per sq m in Tianjin's city centre.Sales have not been helped by the Eco-City's relative inaccessibility as work on a proposed light rail link to central Tianjin, 40km away, has yet to begin.Competition from other development projects in the Tianjin Binhai New Area, where the Eco-City is located, has also affected progress.The Eco-City is in danger of turning into a ghost town, The Economic Observer, a Chinese business newspaper, reported last month.To help it grow faster, some suggest the Eco-City bring in bigger businesses that can generate more jobs and universities to produce a pool of skilled workers."To really attract people, it needs bigger industries to support the population," East Asian Institute scholar Chen Gang told The Sunday Times.Tianjin native Zheng Siyuan, 33, who started an anim迷你倉tion school in the Eco-City, said it also needs more publicity. He said: "We say we are from the Tianjin Eco-City and clients ask me what it is - and they are from Tianjin!"Mr Ho Tong Yen, chief executive of the Eco-City's master developer, said more is being done. A hospital is slated to open by 2015 and there are plans for a theme park and a mall too. German conglomerate Siemens is also starting operations soon.To address residents' complaints, the city has beefed up its services.There are now two free shuttle services plying the city and activities ranging from folk dance sessions for residents and after-school care services for children of working parents have been organised.Mr Ho said the Eco-City's progress should not be measured only by the number of people living there. If population numbers were the main target, the project could simply have been located next to a bustling city."That's not what we're trying to do," he told The Sunday Times. "We are in a remote location, wasteland, saline land, alkaline land. We are trying to show that in a place like this, you can also grow a nice city."A silver liningDespite the teething problems, most of the 20 residents interviewed by The Sunday Times said they like living here.They note the green environment, good schools and the support the city enjoys from the Chinese and Singapore governments.There are signs telling people not to litter, ramps for the disabled, neatly trimmed roadside shrubs as well as tap water that is fit to drink. Its eco-friendly features include street lamps powered by solar or wind energy and buildings that maximise daylight."I feel the air is good and I can breathe easily, unlike in places with many cars and pollution," said Madam Dong Zhixia, 58, who used to live in neighbouring Tanggu.Freight manager Wang Hui, 38, who also moved in from Tanggu last year, is already such a fan of the Eco-City and its links to Singapore that he hopes to send his daughter Juicy to the Republic for further studies in future."I feel my quality of life has improved here. The environment is good and I can take care of my child's educational needs. I'm pretty happy," he said.Others are glad the place is not crowded. Manager Li Jun, 35, said: "It doesn't have to be like Beijing or Tianjin. If the Eco-City has too many people, it will hurt the environment."The bilingual education offered by the city's schools has attracted parents like Ms Zhang Yongyan, 32, who arrived last year from Wuhan, central Hubei, to take up a job as a social worker."My son was of pre-school age. I thought, why not move to the Tianjin Eco-City," said Ms Zhang, who bought a home and likes the schooling perks.Classes for her three-year-old cost 450 yuan a month compared with about 1,500 yuan elsewhere in Tianjin.Korean restaurant owner Pei Shouzi, 52, from central Tianjin, arrived to start her business a year ago but grew to like the place so much that she has bought a home.She is hoping that her son, who studied hotel management at university, will take over the business one day."I feel that the future here will be better. Once the light rail comes in, the city will take off."hoaili@sph.com.sg儲存倉