漳县位于甘肃省定西市南部，是古丝绸之路的交通要冲，也是一个国家级贫困县。近日，从漳县境内212国道经过的沿线的部分村庄在路边竖起了一堵堵高约两米、用琉璃瓦装饰的墙，将路边农户的房屋遮挡住，部分墙体已经刷成白色。村民说，其最大的作用就是为了遮丑，农民房子不好看。而“遮羞墙”也引起了不少质疑和争议。
A poverty-stricken county in northwest China has begunbuilding screen walls alongside a highway section in a bid tocamouflage the "shabby" surroundings and provide a prettier view. The move has predictablysparked a controversy.
Authorities in Zhangxian County, Gansu Province, began building the brick walls this October tohide the so-called shabby houses situated near a section of the G212 Highway linking the provincialcapital Lanzhou and southwest China's Chongqing City.
The 2-meter-high walls, with glazed roof tiles, stretch over more than 5 kilometers, the People'sDaily website reported yesterday.
But the construction has triggered an outcry as residents argue that the walls occupy the sidewalkwhich has been narrowed to make room for the busy highway. Since heavy-loaded trucks arealways passing by, local villagers feel unsafe.
More than 80 households, including 100 schoolchildren, live near the highway in Dongqiao Village. "Even adults find it hard to dodge the vehicles, not to say kids," a villager said.
Local villagers also said the money spent on the walls could have been used to upgrade theirhomes. "The walls do not benefit us at all and they are useless," said another villager.
The Yihuqiao Township director Gong Zhiqiang said the construction was part of a campaign, initiated by the province, to beautify rural areas. By 2020, all of the farmers' houses will berenovated, he added.
He said the government had launched a public bidding to raise money, but wouldn't reveal thetotal cost.
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