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Young Chinese Man Builds Bridge to Remote Village, Gets 2 Years in Prison
A Chinese man’s selfless act of building a bridge to a remote village has landed him in prison for 2 years.
The man, identified as Mr. Huang, built the bridge across a river in northern China’s Jilin province to help villagers who had to travel 70 km to reach the nearest bridge.
The bridge built by Mr. Huang
Mr. Huang ran a ferry business providing services to villagers to and from the village before deciding to build the bridge without asking the authorities’ permission.
The bridge, a buoy bridge built to general standards, collected a small fee from users. However, the villagers were happy to pay as it saved them time and was more convenient.
In 2014, Mr. Huang and 17 other villagers renovated the bridge, welding 13 metal boats together to accommodate more vehicles.
The renovated bridge
However, in 2018, government authorities ordered Mr. Huang to dismantle the bridge, claiming that he and his family were profiting illegally from the bridge.
Mr. Huang was taken into custody and charged with various offenses. An investigation found that he and his family had collected a total of 52,000 yuan (about 243,500 baht) from cars crossing the bridge.
Mr. Huang was sentenced to 2 years in prison and 2 years of probation. He filed an appeal in 2021, admitting that the bridge was not approved by local authorities but arguing that he built it to help the local community.
Mr. Huang also disputed the figures released by prosecutors, claiming that the bridge cost more than 130,000 yuan (about 600,000 baht) to build.
The court dismissed his appeal, but Mr. Huang filed a new appeal to the Intermediate People’s Court in June 2023, which is currently being considered.
The bridge
The case has sparked debate on Chinese social media, with some netizens agreeing that Mr. Huang should be punished for charging people to use the bridge, while others argue that he was only trying to help the community.
Some have also questioned the safety of the bridge, asking who would be held responsible in the event of a serious accident.
Following the dispute, officials have announced that a bridge will be built over the river closer to the village, but it is not possible to do so as planned.