Chinese officials’ summer retreat closes down over pollution scandal
- Cloud Valley Mansion once hosted lavish banquets but shut its doors after being found to have pumped waste water in reservoir that supplies Beijing
- Facility was run by agriculture ministry and had been open for more than 30 years
A resort used for summer breaks by senior Chinese government officials has closed down after environmental inspectors discovered that for the past two years it had been pumping waste water into a reservoir that supplies Beijing, local media reported.
The facility, known by locals as Cloud Valley Mansion and situated 70km (44 miles) to the northeast of the capital, was operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing Daily reported on Sunday.
Located in a preservation area beside Miyun reservoir, the resort comprised Western-style bungalows, a dance hall and a banqueting suite large enough to accommodate 180 guests.
The decision to close it came after the ministry was fined 500,000 yuan (US$72,700) for discharging untreated waste water directly into the reservoir, the report said.
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It did not say when the fine was issued or the closure was ordered, but many of the buildings have now been demolished and the area replanted with trees.
A woman who used to work at the resort, which opened in 1987, said that she and her former colleagues were waiting to hear what would happen to them.
“We haven’t lost our jobs, but there will be some rearrangement, or so we were told,” she said.
Lavish banquets and all-expenses-paid retreats were once commonplace for senior officials in China, though things have changed significantly under President Xi Jinping, who launched a campaign to crack down on corruption and extravagance soon after taking power.
As a result, many facilities like Cloud Valley Mansion have been demolished or sold to private investors.
Miyun reservoir contains about 4 billion tonnes of water and is the primary source of drinking water for more than 30 million people in and around Beijing.
Northern China is well known for its water shortages and pollution has exacerbated the problem.
