Why Did Chinese Officials Paint a Mountain Green?

Officials in Fumin County, which is located in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, have decided to paint an entire barren countryside green. While it seems likely that everyone involved in the decision had at least “one too many” cocktails, villagers are scratching their heads and wondering why anyone would spend money to do this.

For villagers in southwestern China the new green painted mountain, which cost the government some 400,000 yuan ($51,000), is a weird conundrum, but it does have an explanation.

Laoshou Mountain was quarried for more than two decades but has been recently shut down following complaints about dust and noise from villagers.

Last summer when government workers began spraying the mountain, which is an entirely barren countryside, green. Villagers were perplexed as no one was told why the local forestry bureau was trying to simulate planted trees. indeed, wouldn’t it make more sense to use the money to plant real trees instead?

A few villagers suggested that those village officials whose offices faced the mountain were doing this in an attempt to alter the region’s feng shui, the ancient Chinese belief of harmonizing one’s physical environment for maximum health and financial benefit.

The only problem with this is that feng shui needs to be a genuine arrangement, and fake green trees won’t cut it because Mother Nature knows the truth.

It appears no explanation is being given, so all we can do is guess at what their true intentions were.

(Link)

By MDeeDubroff on 13-06-2009