Added: Nov 18, 2008
From: journeymanpictures
Duration: 13:28
June 2006Over two hundred million migrants work illegally in China. They power China's economic growth but are condemned to a life in the shadows. On the outskirts of the new Shanghai live those who build it. "My life here consists only of work. I do nothing else", states Kejun. He comes from one of the poorest Chinese provinces but was forced to move to the city to find a job. Now, he works 7 days a week and sees his wife and child for only one day a year. "It's unbearable to leave our children behind." It's illegal for the rural population to move to the cities but the economy is so dependent on cheap labour that this rule is often ignored. Vulnerable and under constant threat of exposure, migrant workers are easily exploited. "Their lives are very tough", states NGO worker May Wong. "They are always discriminated against."
Channel: News
Tags: china discrimination lifestyles migrant shanghai workers
Rating: 4.83 (12 ratings) Views: 3261' favoriteCount='28 Comments: 21
LoveForChinaForava Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - They didn't hug cause the camera is there!! jeez, sometimes i feel that foreigners don't know anything about China, but at least they try, also now in rural areas you can have 2 children and people born after 80's in the cities can have 2 children.
LongLivePRC Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - This video speaking is fucking stupid.Go to jail just for buying a "Black market" ticket?Why is it illegal to buy a ticket off another person who chose to give it up for personal reasons? In other words, if i have a movie ticket but I dont want to watch the movie, why cant I sell it?
aronrosenthal Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - You really should look at Chinese law and policy before you make such baseless claims. Show us where in Chinese policy the statement allowing people to have more than 1 child if they are born after 1980! If that were true, that would mean a great number of people in China would no longer be under the 1 Child Policy and the government made it perfectly clear that they are not doing away with this policy. You also know little about your country.
aronrosenthal Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - People are not giving up tickets because they don't want them! They are most definitely selling them to make a profit. Or at least the vast majority are and if you're Chinese and have ever lived in China you would know that to be true. But I do agree that the person would not likely go to prison.
aronrosenthal Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - The government has been suppressing the Chinese peasants for decades. What bothers me is that Mao came to power on the backs of the peasant class and now the peasants are the least fortunate people in the country. One of the worst insults is to call someone a "peasant." We all want China to rise responsibly but they treat the peasants absolutely terribly. If you don't believe me, go live in the countryside and see it for yourself!
PresidentOfTheBlacks Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - China is soo overated!
q1ax Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - at Mao time chinese accually live a happier life, but today because of some rich getting so rich and poor getting so poor that now life is nothing but CHAOSLots of Westerners say Mao is BAD but i think hes the best
Menace23Society Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - not disagreeing with you but consider how difficult it would be to manage 2.4 billion ppl with limited resources, its a logistical nightmare. now there's alot of things i'd change about the cpc but some things, like the state of the state of the working class, may just be a harsh inevitability. just throwing that out there
anner442 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Mao wanted (and he was a FREAK) to make everyone equal so all are treated well, He did not do this...in fact Mao made it worse...look for someone better.
anner442 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Chinese will be powerful, their above average children out number the that of the west. But the west is so powerful. Why?
infundadiform Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - 400million americansand 850million europeans. so who out numbers who? besides in 20yrs half of all chinese will be over 50.one child policy 2 children 4 parents.who do you think own most of the companies in china not the chinese they are to busy selling their souls.this growth is in spite of the noncommunistcapital party of murderous,greedy thugs. china will be a big polluted mess. america,europe and japan unpolluted.some prize. america grows1/2 the worlds food and china to polluted grow food.
jodonz Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Chinese parents are so caring for their children, my family is a middle class, when I was young, my dad and mum always force me to study so much and stuff, now I understand they want me to have a better future, they said the poor family want their children to have better life and eat better but they just dont hav enuf money to give them education, thats y they work 24/7 with very low pay,
musiclover201 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - I was raised in a chinese family and my father always tell me that peasants of china are the most honest, hard working people in china. It is the backbone of the economy, China is nothing without them. As far as I'm concerned they still are. I'm sure I'm not the only chinese that thinks this way.
Hanmany Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - "It's illegal for the rural population.."I think this is true maybe 20 years ago, not in 2005. There are certain paper works these migrant works have to go through to legally stay for a relatively long time in a city. Also you won't get into jail because you buy a ticket from a black market. The seller may get into jail though.
Hanmany Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Also I think you've been harassed by the police during the making of this video because you didn't get a permit.I wouldn't say this video is seriously biased,but there are some inaccurate parts.
Paindeva Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - his is the Painstyle *gg*SPAAAAAAAAAM XD
Wfeng1688 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - not ture!
Wfeng1688 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - agree
popqq123 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - China 1 child only applied to Han Chinese, it does not applied to the Minority chinese, the Minority chinese can have as much baby as they want, but the Han are far more richer than minority chinese and when they want more than 1 child they have to pay a fee to have 2 child and if Han chinese want 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 child then the fee will continue.
xuci111111 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - How the heck can the west criticise China so much?Just because the west advanced in their industralisation and China lacked behind because of the colonisation era now western countries got an advantage over us, and now you're using your lifestyle as a guideline of human rights?!Look at it! China lacked behind is because you lot mobbed and colonised us in the 20th century! Now you blame us for we being "not at your level"?
kurohune07 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - I studied this *Hukuo System-Strict residency requirments under this system, which binds people to their place of birth. I guess the system is still in place. This is bad goverment doesn't know what its doing.