A recent brouhaha at our citys Gucun Park in Baoshan District, famous for its springtime cherry blossoms, is providing food for thought on the issue of public spaces, and what responsibilities our city and we as local citizens have for supporting these places. The case revolves around the parks decision to rent out a large section of its space to a private company, which then rented the area out for wedding parties.
Its clear that park managers are trying to raise more money. But whats less clear is whether they did so because of budget shortfalls, or simply because they wanted to earn more than the 20-yuan ticket price that people pay for admission.
For me the case spotlights two particular matters that alway…
Read the full article at: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/community/Park-trying-to-increase-profits-raises-issue-of-lacking-taxation/shdaily.shtml