Results tagged “poverty”

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To spread the Lunar New Year cheer, the central government has decided to distribute RMB9 billion worth of hongbao's (or red packets) to 74 million of the poorest residents in cities and villages as one-time disbursements meant to help them tide through the hard times. Villagers will receive RMB100 each, city dwellers RMB150 each, and those on state pensions/subsidies RMB180 each. All this money is coming straight from the Ministry of Finance and the central government has already given strict instructions to governments at all levels to disburse the monies in a "just, fair and transparent" manner.

Here's an English news link:

CHINESE police have rescued 33 intellectually disabled people forced to work at a building site by slave labour merchants after the apparent suicide of a detainee alerted authorities.

The Chinese press offers some information. For example, the report above says that about 2/3 of the 33 people discovered were mentally disabled, and that they came from all over China. The ringmasters behind this operation go to train stations around China and target people who are mentally disabled and lure them to Harbin with a promise of the princely sum of 60 RMB a day. Most of them were recruited in recent months, and everyday they were taken to and from the construction grounds where they did hard manual labor, like piling brick and moving sand. They were only allowed to eat porridge and vegetables, or leftovers from restaurants. And if they got out of line, there was always someone there to beat them back into submission.

1. university students who might be studying medicine and could use the cash, 2. people who want to further the cause of medicine (and who might be sick themselves, and thus have a stake in it), and 3. people who are in it just for the money.

As ice is melting between North Korea and the United States, more and more Chinese businessmen have been rushing to the border with the secretive communist country, looking to cash in on its trade and investment potential.

As the economic gap between China and North Korea widens, more and more young Chinese people are traveling to North Korea to see the sort of poverty their parents endured.

People who made the news this week

China’s August Consumer Price Index is out: a whopping 6.5 percent higher over comparable period last year, much higher than the 5.8 to 6 range economists were forecasting. The number, which measures inflation at the retail level, further breaks down to a 6.2 year over year price hike in major metro regions; but out in poverty stricken rural areas, goods and services are 7.2 percent more expensive than they were 12 months ago. In other words, poor people, who are always disproportionately hurt by rising inflation, are hit with the double whammy of even faster price escalation. While there is no golden standard for the CPI, most central bankers and economists are uncomfortable with a number above 2.5 percent. China has been trending between 3 to 4 percent for the past several months. The latest reading is a ten year high.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick on Monday praised Vietnam as a "tremendous success story" in fighting poverty but said institutional reforms were needed as it seeks middle-income country status.

Photo by Anton Berkovich.

When you've got nothing left to sell, sell your blood. That's how many people in China, most notably in Henan, got AIDS. But as long as there's poverty, you can bet that there will be people willing to sell their own blood. In the town of Jieyang in Eastern Guangdong province, a recent expose lead to greater media attention, which meant that the authorities actually had some work to do. An investigation started, which lead to the suspension of three officials (pending further investigation) as well as the arrests of the blood-selling mafia's ringleaders (both reports in Chinese).

Ear Scope turns wax removal into primetime entertainment

"Imagine if you can the wild and crazy times you could have with the company's line of Ear Scopes, which combine a pick with a small video camera and allow you to actually watch what's going on while you scrape around and try to avoid puncturing your eardrum."

Cabbie held after Swede overcharged

"Christoph Johamnes arrived at Pudong International Airport early Wednesday morning for his first trip to Shanghai. ... When he arrived at his hotel, the trio charged him 1,480 yuan (US$185), claiming the fee included a 1,200-yuan taxi fare and a 280-yuan tax."

Ayis trained to walk dogs, feed fish

"Shanghai Best Homemaking Service Co Ltd revealed, before the holiday many clients said they would travel during the festival, so they wanted a dog-loving ayi who could take their pet for an hourlong walk every morning and evening, as well as doing house work."

Lesbian faces murder charge

"The Shanghai No 2 Intermediate Prosecutors' Office said yesterday a lesbian has been accused of killing a KTV waitress in order to please her girlfriend." Damn lesbians.

US Airways seeks Philadelphia-Shanghai route

"If approved, the service will begin in March 2008."

Shanghai gives green light to street vendors

"Street vendor has not been regarded as a legitimate profession in China for decades, and authorities of many big cities slap a ban on it for fear that hawkers roaming around downtown areas may damage the image of metropolitan."

Shanghai to prosecute 9 government, state industry officials over pension scandal

"The announcement comes just two days before the opening of the new session of the national legislature, at which top leaders are expected to renew their determination to strike out at corruption eating away at the ruling Communist Party's legitimacy."

China has “European” cities, but “African” villages

"This article explores China’s poverty-relief policies and highlights their complete failure in bringing about positive change."

Fuck!

"Could the men living in China get any more retarded? Here are the horror stories from the front lines."

Shanghai Bans Antibiotics Prescriptions for Colds

"The Shanghai Medicine Adverse Reaction Monitoring Center has received 12,000 reports of adverse side effects caused by medicines. Half were caused by antibiotics misuse." The Shanghai Medicine Adverse Reaction Monitoring Center. Heh.

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Shanghai Sunrise, a local non-profit charity established in 1995, is looking for board members and volunteers. Shanghai Sunrise aims to help remove Shanghai families from the poverty cycle by providing education scholarships for disadvantaged students. Despite China’s compulsory education law stating that no tuition fees will be charged for nine years of education, the reality facing many families in Shanghai and throughout China that this does not cover tuition fees for high school. Often, the extra costs incurred when sending a student onto high school and university can present overwhelming difficulties for families living below Shanghai’s poverty line. In situations like this, Shanghai Sunrise provides assistance so a student can reach their potential.

The State Environmental Protection Agency said faster-than-expected economic growth meant that sulfur dioxide emissions increased by nearly 1.8 percent, or 463,000 tons, over the previous year, according to a report on its Web site. An even more damning report from Germany's magazine talks about how China's environmental failures are impacting the rest of the world.

The New York Times Magazine has an interesting story about General Tso's Chicken, probably the most famous "Hunanese" dish that most people from Hunan Province (or anywhere else in Mainland China, for that matter) have never heard of:

Just days after The New York Times gave us its take on budget travel in Shanghai, AskMen.com offers up its own tips for those without such limited funds. The concept here is interesting: what is a good way to spend US$10,000 in a weekend in Shanghai? And why not? According to writer Scott Mills:

Have you ever considered the question: Are our children learning from that great resource of information that is the internet? If in some of the poorer countries the answer is a resounding no, that's mostly because computers are expensive and the last thing on the minds of people who are struggling under circumstances of poverty and deprivation. Nonetheless, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nicholas Negroponte had the idea of decreasing the digital divide by making cheap laptops that cost about $100 to make and selling these to poor countries. This became a UN backed non-profit called One Laptop Per Child.

The Santo Chino Ride continues, and Christopher now finds himself at the base of Huangshan in Anhui Province, struggling to wake up early enough to climb the mountain (he's not a morning person). We'd like to make one clarification: In yesterday's report, we failed to mention the full scope of Hands on Shanghai's Rising Stars program. In addition to the mentor program we mentioned, the bulk of the money generated from the Santo Chino Ride will go directly toward paying for the educations of the urban poor -- children who come from families trying to survive on less than RMB 300 (US$36) per month. You can donate to the trip here.

We have always heard the stories of ducks (ya zi -- 鸭子 -- slang for gigolos or male prostitutes) in the city, but have never met any. "Could women really pay young men to sleep with them?", the prudish male Shanghaiist has often wondered, curious and a touch excited that we could maybe use our God-given bed-time mediocrity to work ourselves out of poverty and get our necks above the rice-line. The Guardian seems to have recently done it's own research into the field, although the reporter, Tom Miller, fails to admit why he was talking to the ducks.

• Shanghai's luxury hotels took a hit during the Chinese New Year period, and in order to recuperate some of their losses, cut their prices in late January by as much as 50-70 percent. For example, the Sheraton went down from 1600 yuan a night to 728 yuan a night, and the Portman's prices fell from 3000 yuan to just 800 yuan.
• Taobao, one of China's main online auction and shopping sites, is no longer permitting the sale of "original flavor underwear" (原味内衣), i.e. used or worn underwear. According to the reports most of the people selling these items were of the female persuasion, and the prices were generall 20-40 yuan, though some choice items topped the 100 yuan mark.
• Go here for some pictures of graffiti art in Beijing. Some of it ain't bad, artistically speaking, but is probably not good for the building of a harmonious society.

Shanghaiist is not about to engage in an argument on the socio-economic impact that China's one-child policy has had on all aspects of the country's existence and future. We recognize the importance of population control in a country that continues to struggle with large-scale poverty, underemployment, unemployment, a weakened social welfare system and disappearing farmable land to grow enough food for a 1.3 billion (and growing) population. We definitely don't want to get into a debate about that "deep-rooted Chinese concept that males are superior to females." But this kind of whitewashing of the one-child policy in a country that has the most unbalanced population ratio in the world can be called irresponsible at best. And it is certainly not going to help all of those poor, abandoned -- or worse -- baby girls: