Results tagged “help”

Paying off bills here is as easy as going to a convenience store with some cash... but in case you thought even that was too much of a hassle, Shanghai's one of the few cities in China that also allows you to pay online. How? Taobao, of course.

In the days following the earthquake a number of stories have started surfacing about Sichuan's enormous migrant labor force and their concerns for loved ones back home. Out of the many laborers that have moved into China's rapidly developing urban areas, more come from Sichuan than any other province. A recent article from the Wall Street Journal tells us:

According to official figures, eight million migrant workers come from Sichuan. But the official figures exclude many unregistered workers and those who have left home seeking work but stay within the province. Some estimates put the number of Sichuanese migrant workers at 20 million, out of a total migrant labor force of roughly 120 million.

Shanghai has its own fair share of migrant workers and several are interviewed in a recent piece in the New York Times. They are deeply concerned over their families and friends back in Sichuan. To add to their worries, damaged infrastructure and overloaded phone lines have left many of them unable to contact their loved ones for days. Some plan to return home, but many lack the means.