Xie began to take pictures and collect materials from the remaining qilou buildings in 2010. He also interviewed the area's residents. He posted the results of his research online and invited more people to join him in the task of documenting life on Enning Road.

Xiao Lang, a 22-year-old student who was born in Guangdong's Meizhou City, joined Xie, as did another 10 college students from Guangzhou.

"Although I am not from Guangzhou, I know if I don't do this, maybe the next place to be demolished will be my street at home," Xiao said.

In March 2010, Xie and his friends formed the Academic Concern Group of Enning Road. Using the results of their survey, they produced a report on the social impact of the Enning Road renovation project, and came up with their own development plan for the area.

They also produced a documentary using the interviews they conducted with residents in the street and uploaded it on Tudou.com, a popular video sharing website in China.

All their efforts, however, didn't stop the local government from proceeding with its renovation plans, but Xiao insists their work is meaningful for two major reasons.

"First, our work might lead to reflections on the current urban planning model," Xiao said. "Second, it will remind young people no matter how little we know and how small we seem, we still have a voice and can make it heard."

Successful attempts

While Xiao was unable to save Guangzhou's qilou buildings on Enning Road, some spontaneous public affair campaigns in the city have been very successful.

Chen Yihua, a 16-year-old student from Guangzhou's No.16 High School, for example, was able to have an impact on plans for the renovation of stations along Guangzhou's Subway Line 1.

In June 2010, Guangzhou's metro authorities made plans to renovate 16 subway stations. The total investment in the project was expected to exceed 90 million yuan ($14.10 million).

In January this year, Chen noticed the stations on the Subway Line 1 were being gutted. "I was very sad to see this," said Chen, who takes this subway to school every day.

What was more disappointing is in light of the renovation plans, the 16 stations, which originally each has a unique character, would be uniform in terms of color and design.

"I think this is boring," Chen said. "They say the renovation is for safety's sake. I don't understand why a uniform color is safer than different colors."

He first posted his objection on Weibo and an online forum called "Metro Fan." In addition to contact staff at metro stations, he also raised the issue to Guangzhou's metro authorities through the public hotline. But the only response he got was a notification saying his opinions had been recorded. To make himself heard more clearly, Chen finally decided to take to the streets with a poster.

From May 3 to 7, Chen held a poster on the streets of Guangzhou and collected local residents' signatures to support his call for a halt to unnecessary renovations on metro stations. Eventually, he secured over 300 signatures.

Chen was applauded online and his efforts attracted praise from major Web portals, popular online forums, and prominent micro-bloggers. His campaign was also covered by the mainstream media. The Guangzhou Metro Co. invited Chen for a meeting on May 8 and brought together engineers and publicity staff to listen to Chen's concerns.

Following the meeting, the company said it would only renovate stations that had safety risks and renovation projects would only begin after the public had been consulted.

Another successful campaign was launched by Baike Guangzhou. "Baike" comes from the English word "bike" and this volunteer organization is composed of cyclists from public service institutions and collegiate non-profit organizations in Guangzhou.

Formed in 2009, the organization aims to promote local authorities to create better cycling conditions for Guangzhou citizens. After several months of research, they found out a lack of bicycle parking lots was preventing more residents from taking to cycling.

In October 2009, the group announced it would gift a bicycle to the mayor so that he could experience the inconvenience of bicycle riding in Guangzhou.

They soon got more than 30,000 letters of support and a reply from the local government that said a meeting with the mayor would be arranged.

On January 12, 2010, then Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning met with representatives of Baike Guangzhou and pledged to turn Guangzhou's haphazard system of cycle paths into a comprehensive network.

More bicycle parking lots have been set up all over Guangzhou, especially at the exits of subway stations. Furthermore, the city is planning to build a network of over 300 km of green roads, which will connect green spaces, parks, nature reserves, scenic spots and historical sites, hoping to make cycling and walking the main means of transportation along these green roads.

Observing the success of many of the campaigns conducted by young people in Guangzhou, a netizen called Adong said, "Young people no longer confine their horizons to daily trivialities but are more aware of their rights and keep a watchful eye on public matters and are prepared to express their opinions."

"Young people's concerns and campaigns now play a key role in pushing for the disclosure of government information, particularly in urban areas" said Guo Weiqing, a professor at the School of Government of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. "One's opinion should be heard and understood and the initiator's proposal will be discussed as long as he gets the public's endorsement."

China's young people are determined to make themselves heard, and in many cases it appears authorities are prepared to listen. Given the lengths to which young campaigners are prepared to go, turning a blind eye or deaf ear is no longer an option.