demolishing brick walls in china

[Sam]

I recently spent 3 months in china and received an email from a friend there (has been there for about a year and a half) proposing this question:

"I have noticed whilst living here that just before they pull a brick wall down they paint it."

does anyone know why this is done (she doesn't)?

[roddy]

Possible reasons are

1) painting the bricks before knocking the wall down reduces dust. In Beijing at least, construction companies are required to take dust reduction measures, such as covering large expanses of bare ground with tarpaulins, or hosing down sites before work starts.

2) the bricks are to be reused later, which requires painting. It's easier to paint them in one go in a wall rather than doing them individually.

3) The paint reduces wear and tear on the sledgehammers used to knock the walls down.

However, I doubt any of these are true . . .

Roddy

[Guest jinshan]

In my experience, most of the pointless, crazy things that happen in China have no discernible purpose other than to create work for people. Hence the two gangs of workers who do relays outside my apartment at all hours of the day or night - gang 1 digs a hole, gang 2 fills it in; gang 1 digs a hole, gang 2 fills it in ...

Jinshan

[sudasana]

In my experience' date=' most of the pointless, crazy things that happen in China have no discernible purpose other than to create work for people. Hence the two gangs of workers who do relays outside my apartment at all hours of the day or night - gang 1 digs a hole, gang 2 fills it in; gang 1 digs a hole, gang 2 fills it in ...

Jinshan[/quote']

That sounds like what they did in the U.S. during the Depression. Are things worse in Sichuan / Chengdu than in Eastern China?

[holyman]

i wonder if sam means painted the whole wall or just painted a chinese word 'chai' meaning 'demolish'? if its the latter then its only a mark for the worker to know which one is up for demolish.

[Sam]

no they paint the whole wall