Construction of a high-speed rail link between Shanghai and the nearby city of Hangzhou is raising protests among residents who say the trains will run too close to their apartments — the latest hiccup in the long-debated project.

People walk at the construction site of a high-speed railway Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 in Shanghai, China. Construction of a high-speed railway link between Shanghai and the nearby city of Hangzhou is raising protests among residents who say the trains will run too close to their apartments - the latest hiccup in the long-debated project. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

While much smaller in scope than earlier protests over a proposed magnetic levitation rail line — plans the city appears to have shelved for now — sit-ins by the residents of Xihuan, a suburb in western Shanghai, highlight the frustrations of many here as the city rushes to finish projects ahead of next year's World Expo.

China's topdown style of governing and state-controlled media allow for scant public input, and increasing affluence has left many residents expecting more opportunities to be heard.

"They started work without saying anything to us," one elderly woman who was sitting with other protesters near the construction site, just across the street from their apartments, complained Thursday.

"Other people are getting a better quality of life. Why can't we? What can we say? Who can we go to for help?" said the woman, who warily gave only her surname, Zhu.

The protesters, who say they've kept up their round-the-clock vigil near the construction site for a month, complain that police earlier this week surrounded and beat them during a meeting held to discuss the problem.

Some have also staged sit-ins near government offices.

"It did happen, but we are not able to tell you anything," said an official at the Minhang District letters and visits office, whose function is to receive complaints and petitions. The official would only identify himself by his employee number, No. 26. He would not give his name.

A spokeswoman for the district government said she was unaware of the melee, which protesters said put one man in the hospital. A Shanghai city government spokeswoman said their office did not know about the protests.

Shanghai, a city of about 20 million people, has relocated millions for urban renewal projects — the largest a vast riverside space cleared for the Expo, which begins May 1 and is expected to draw 70 million visitors.

In some cases, residents move willingly, accepting compensation and new apartments, often in distant suburbs. In other cases, they've resisted and moved only when forced out.

With more than a dozen new subway lines being built, shop fronts under renovation and major highways and most of the city's riverfront under construction, it often seems few parts of the city have been left in peace. Read more >>

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