The Shandong government has appropriated 440 million yuan this year for rural housing, with 648,000 rural houses under construction and 43,000 dilapidated houses already rebuilt to date.

The housing program, launched at the beginning of this year in rural areas of Shandong province, will enhance rural communities.

It has been reported that the Shandong provincial government plans to build 750,000 farmhouses within three years, and 800,000 crumbling homes in rural areas will be rebuilt over a period of five years.

Li Kongjun, a farmer who recently moved from a dilapidated house to a new community in Zouping county, told China Daily he enjoys his new apartment costing 70,000 yuan, with a subsidy of 20,000 yuan from the government.

The rural housing program directly boosts demand in steel, cement and construction and promotes the development of industries including decoration, appliances and furniture indirectly, according to Qin Qingwu, an expert with the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.

One million newly-built farmhouses are expected to boost investment of 100 billion yuan, according to the three-year-long program, which will see 300 billion yuan in investment.

Editor Li Jing

By Li Anna (China Daily Shandong Bureau)