The Beggars of Beijing, One Day…
China’s high economic growth has turned Beijing into a digital city. Beijing wants to turn itself into a beautiful, sophisticated metropolis, free of all signs of poverty. In the last 10 years, the municipality has been actively creating a movement to rid the city of all poor people. When the city was preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, the struggle to cleanse the city of poor people was especially intense. The homeless, the beggars and hawkers, were all forcibly moved out of the city. The attempt, however, was not entirely successful. There are still many homeless who refuse to be evicted from Beijing. Tempo journalist, Sunudyantoro sent the following report about the poor in Beijing.
September 29, 2010
THE man wearing a faded white shirt had thrown himself on a bench in the garden of the pedestrian section outside the walls of Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, in the Peoples Republic of China. A white towel was hanging from the arm of the bench where he was sleeping, in the middle of the day. A black bag, in place of a pillow, served to support his neck and his head.
He appeared to be trying to forget that he was in Beijing which was
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