Beijing

Police reaction to migrant’s death highlights social tensions in Beijing

As several hundred migrants from Anhui staged a protest in Beijing on 8 May demanding a proper investigation into the suspicious death of a young migrant at a local market, police descended in force and helicopters circled above to make sure the protest did not get out of hand. Front page photograph of a now demolished migrant community in Beijing.

CNN: Life in limbo for China's migrant families

Liu Ming Xing is a student at Jin Wei Elementary School, where her favorite class is music. The 13-year-old loves the class. "It makes me feel good," she said. And she says about her school life at Jin Wei: "This place is good, I like it. I want to stay here."

Le Point: Foxconn : les ouvriers protestent même à Pékin

Les usines Foxconn en Chine sont régulièrement agitées mais, pour la première fois, la protestation atteint les ateliers de la capitale.

Sacked Shanghai doctor invokes spirit of Mao Zedong in search for justice

A Shanghai doctor talks to Han Dongfang about his six-year struggle for justice after being fired from his university and hospital jobs and his nostalgia for the Mao era.

Migrant workers once again the victims after Beijing’s deluge

Zhao Lupo is a hero. The 40-year-old migrant worker from Anhui reportedly saved five people during the devastating rainstorm that hit suburban Beijing last week. But when he went to the local village disaster relief office he was told to get lost because local villagers had priority in the distribution of relief supplies.

China Digital Times: The Uncertain Future of Beijing’s Migrant Schools

As the gap between China’s urban and rural economies continues to expand, the largest rural-urban migration in world history persists. When those from the countryside arrive in the city, the current hukou system blocks their access to the social services that urban residents take for granted. While many join the ranks of China’s “left-behind children” as their parents toil in the city, those who go along often rely on migrant schools for their primary education – while they could attend a public school, the typical fees required far exceed a migrant family’s income.

The long uphill struggle for migrant schools in Beijing continues

During his concert tour of Hong Kong last week, “New Worker” Sun Heng once again called the public’s attention to the threatened closure of the Tongxin Primary School for the children of migrant workers, which he helped set up on a deserted factory site on the outskirts of Beijing in 2005.

Local governments refuse financial aid for uninsured workers

China’s new Social Security Law, which went into effect on 1 July 2011, stipulates that uninsured workers who suffer a work-related injury can apply to a local government Work-related Injury Fund for an advance payment if their employer refuses to pay compensation. However, an investigation by a legal-aid centre in Beijing shows that one year after the implementation of the Social Security Law, the vast majority of municipal governments are refusing to set up an advance payments system.

Migrant worker happiness index puts Pearl River delta towns at bottom of list

Migrant workers are a lot happier working in relatively smaller cities away from China’s traditional factory to the world, the Pearl River delta, according to a new study conducted by the People’s University of China (中国人民大学).

AFP: China's city dwellers overtake rural population

China said the number of people living in cities exceeded the rural population for the first time, a historic shift that experts said would put a strain on society and the environment. The change marks a turning point for China, which for centuries was a mainly agrarian nation but has witnessed a huge population shift to cities over the past three decades as people seek to benefit from rapid economic growth.

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