By staff reporter ZHANG XIWEN

Jinyuchi's new look.

THE rainy season used to be the most irksome period of the year for Zhao Yunshu. A member of the Jinyuchi Beili Neighborhood Committee, she handled seemingly endless complaints, over the telephone and in person, about the utility problems caused by rain. These included blocked drains, leaking roofs, and electricity failures. She would then cycle to the real estate maintenance station in search of suitable workers to do repairs, or talk to the people in charge about long term solutions. This year's rainy season, however, she spent most of her time sitting in the office drinking tea.

Ms. Zhao is a resident of the Jinyuchi community, which is near the northern gate of the Temple of Heaven. This district, originally a cluster of old gray buildings, was formerly called Longxugou (Dragon Beard Ditch). This was where Zhao and her four other family members lived, cramped in a 14-sq.-m room, for 30 years.

When the Longxugou community was demolished and rebuilt as part of municipal construction, the local government gave it the older name, Jinyuchi (Gold Fish Pond), current during the Ming Dynasty. Like many other Chinese families, life has changed a great deal for Ms. Zhao and her family.

Ms. Zhao's story began 50 years ago. She grew up in the suburbs of Beijing, at that time a farming area, whose villagers envied their urban peers living on government salaries. Young Zhao Yunshu received a better education than most other village girls and hoped to find a city-dwelling spouse. She met and married her husband, an electrician working at a state-owned factory, and the couple moved into a 10-sq.-m adobe hut, allocated by his factory.

When Zhao first saw her new home, she gaped in disbelief. It was one of the slum areas left over from old China. Her hut was very low, with only one small window. It was always dark inside, even on a clear day, and the floor level was lower than that of the ground outside. When it rained the roof leaked, and the overflow from blocked drains ran into the hut. Conditions at her village home were much better than in this hut. When she went to see her parents, she seldom talked of her life in the city to her friends, for fear of ridicule.

In the 1960s, the government tore down the adobe houses and built dozens of dorm-like buildings for the local residents, in which four or five families shared a washroom and toilet. Ms. Zhao was very happy to move into her new 14-sq.-m room, which was fully taken up by the double bed she and her husband slept in, and her mother-in-law's smaller one. As in other households, her kitchen was a makeshift affair in the corridor beside her room door. After her only son was born, things became worse. Her son got through high school doing his homework on the bed.

In 1978 China began her bold reforms. Many state-owned factories cut down their payrolls, or simply closed down. When Zhao's factory closed down, she found work in a company as a cleaner. She was paid 200 yuan a month, which was higher than her factory salary. Two months later, however, she resigned and went to work at her neighborhood committee for a monthly stipend of 50 yuan.

This was a time when financial disparity among citizens became apparent. Better-off families bought household electrical appliances, such as refrigerators, TV sets, and washing machines, which crowded the corridor. These new acquisitions put too great a demand on the old wiring, and blackouts often occurred. The water supply and drainage systems were also old. Leaks and blockages were common. Problems caused by such bad living conditions inevitably caused friction among residents.

The local people have moved into new apartments.

In the mid-1990s, Zhao's husband retired, but was kept on by his factory and given a rise in salary. This, plus his pension, now brings his present income to more than 2,000 yuan a month, making him the highest wage earner in the family. Zhao's son, Liu Jun, has started work, and earns enough to cover his own expenses. Zhao's salary has also increased over a dozen times, and within the past few years, the family has saved over 100,000 yuan. In April 2002, when construction of the new Jinyuchi community was complete, Zhao made full payment of 110,000 yuan for her new, 71-sq.-m apartment. It has two bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen, and washroom. The sun casting its light through the French windows makes the sitting room appear even more spacious. Zhao assigned the bigger bedroom to her son, where he may live with his own family until he buys his own apartment. Zhao is proudest of all of her washroom, where the 60L electric water heater and an Italian-made massaging shower head that she bought are installed.

Liu Jun does not care that much for the room his parents have given him. He would like to live in his own apartment, as long as it is not too far away. In this way, as he puts it, "I can see to my parents' needs at a moment's notice, and also join them for a meal now and again." Liu Jun's salary is not high, but he is confident of obtaining a housing loan.

Ms. Zhao's two younger brothers that still live in the suburbs occasionally come to visit their sister in her new apartment. In the past Ms. Zhao gave them financial support, but her two brothers have since helped Ms. Zhao pay for the new apartment. Her second brother runs a plant nursery and supplies Beijing with fresh cut flowers. Her third brother grows vegetables and fruits. Although he earns less than his brother, he is still better off than his sister. Every time he comes to see her he brings his own products, which are, as he says proudly, "green and pollution free." The two brothers never stay the night at their sister's, as her apartment is not as spacious as their big courtyard houses.

Through the French windows can be seen new, light-green buildings in neat lines, with lawns, trees and a stream between them. In her work, Zhao often visits families in the community and inquires about their needs. She has initiated a day care center for the aged, where old people get together to paint, do physical exercises, and play chess or cards.

After passing an examination, three college graduates were recently hired by the neighborhood committee as full-time employees. On meeting her new colleagues, Ms. Zhao suddenly realized that her time should now be hers to spend as she pleases. She has heard that the government is to build a road from the northern gate of the Temple of Heaven to Chang'an Avenue, and looks forward to the day it opens. This is the date that she and her husband have set for their retirement. They then plan to enjoy their mornings at the Temple of Heaven, and, in the evening after supper, to take a leisurely stroll to Chang'an Avenue and Wangfujing Street.