In the downtown areas, older three- to five-story residential buildings are being demolished and replaced with new tall condo towers.

I see no signs of a slowdown in construction -- quite the opposite. I am convinced that Changchun is growing in population and the people are enjoying a higher standard of living now than they had in 2008.

Holland Marshall is a retired Canadian production and logistics supervisor and manager in the high technology industry.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.