Qi-Lou buildings on Zhenhua Road in the old Guancheng district, Dongguan

In order to solve the traffic jam problem in the old Guancheng district, Guancheng Government has announced plans to build a new road connecting South Keyuan Road and Guangming Road. The effect will be that many Qi-Lou buildings located within the areas around Zhenhua Road will be demolished. The result is that a wave of controversy has swept through citizens in Dongguan.

Some hold that Zhenhua Road used to be a prosperous place in Dongguan thus it would be a great lose to demolish those Qi-Lou as a carrier of Dongguan's history. While some experts in folklore consider most of the Qi-Lou as having a relatively short history that is of little cultural value and point to the necessity to give up something for the city to make new headway.

The local residents contend that the demolishment of Qi-Lou on Zhenhua Road has been started in early September. An official from Guancheng Relocation Office revealed that the new road will start construction in 2010 and the specific date depends on the progress of the demolition and relocation process.