Shantytown residents trade shabby rooms for better lives

After years of struggle, Wang Fenglan finally saw her son get married, because her family had a room for the newlyweds thanks to shantytown renovation.

"The shabby room we lived in didn't have enough room to squeeze in another bed for a fourth person," said the 63-year-old resident of Shenyang, Liaoning province.

They traded the tattered apartment for a new one during the city's renovation of shantytowns in 2007, and Wang said she was happy to live in the much better apartment.