The towers that were to house 10,000 people stand unfinished and abandoned, a ghastly apparition looming over the Chinese port city of Qinhuangdao. Construction was halted when Deda Property Development, the real estate company, ran out of funds. Hundreds of the homes had already been sold.
But last month, small notices were attached to the blue metal gates of the residential complex that showed its fortunes could be about to change. The government had arrived on the scene. It created a special “solve the Deda problem” work group and arranged for financing to resume construction.
“Maintain confidence and patience,” the notices read. “By working together, our homes will be built.”