Tofu projects in China (4)

Speed over quality

There are other examples.

Xiayi Bridge in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province: About 30 of the 80 railings are broken, putting pedestrians at risk. The bridge was a gift project for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China; it is less than 2 years old.

Fengda Bridge in Fenghuang county, Hunan province: It collapsed in 2007 during construction, killing 64 people and injuring 22. The local quality inspection department blamed the construction company for greatly compressing the building period to meet the 50th anniversary of the founding of Xiangxi autonomous prefecture.

Wuhan Baishazhou Yangtze River Bridge: Major repairs have been required almost every year since it was completed in 2000.

Hangzhou Subway Line 1: A tunnel collapsed during construction in 2008, killing 21 workers.

All were gift projects with special completion deadlines. As a result, the experts agreed, officials and construction companies focus on speed at the expense of quality.

"If local officials undertake the projects as gifts to please their superiors, but violate scientific rules of construction, it's no doubt more potential safety hazards will be hidden," said Liu Qinglong, a sociology professor at Tsinghua University.