https://www.scmp.com/rss/325116/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Before autonomous driving freed up the hands of Beijing’s middle class, thousands of workers some 1,500km (930 miles) away in China’s southwestern Guizhou province clicked away at computer screens to teach AI about navigating traffic. In the mountainous city of Tongren, where incomes are less than half those in Beijing, the work of data labelling – marking residential buildings, pavements, roadways and traffic lights – shaped the artificial intelligence guiding those vehicles. The job required... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349038/what-next-struggling-rural-mothers-china-who-helped-build-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349038/what-next-struggling-rural-mothers-china-who-helped-build-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:00:21 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on February 26, 2021. By Mimi Lau Xi claims victory in eliminating extreme poverty China has declared com­plete suc­cess in elim­in­at­ing extreme poverty, with Pres­id­ent Xi Jin­ping hail­ing the lift­ing of 850 mil­lion people out of des­ti­tu­tion as an “unpre­ced­en­ted accom­plish­ment” unmatched by any nation in mod­ern his­tory. In a speech at a cere­mony in Beijing yes­ter­day (February 25, 2021) to com­mend poverty fight­ers, broad­cast live by state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344424/chinas-xi-jinping-declares-defeat-extreme-poverty-2021-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344424/chinas-xi-jinping-declares-defeat-extreme-poverty-2021-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:45:07 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai A series of social media posts highlighting the economic insecurity facing ordinary Americans has triggered an intense debate in China about social problems in the United States and shattered some long-held perceptions. Many of the posts from influencers described the vulnerabilities as a “kill line”, a term used by Chinese video gamers to describe the health threshold below which a character can be instantly defeated. The term has now been repurposed to describe a financial and social tipping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338633/us-kill-line-shocks-chinese-social-media-economic-woes-shatter-illusions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338633/us-kill-line-shocks-chinese-social-media-economic-woes-shatter-illusions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang From chasing a TV crew for 100km to showcase his motorcycle skills, a once-poor young man from central China has built a thriving motorcycle empire, raking in 700 million (US$100 million) yuan a year. Born into a rural family in Hunan province, Zhang Xue grew up in a shabby home made of bricks and wooden boards with his younger sister after his parents divorced. During one of her visits, his mother gave him a bicycle, sparking his lifelong love for two-wheeled vehicles. After finishing... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3334052/chinese-man-chases-tv-crew-100km-show-motorcycle-skills-now-owns-us99-million-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3334052/chinese-man-chases-tv-crew-100km-show-motorcycle-skills-now-owns-us99-million-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A homeless Chinese man deceived others by posing as a wealthy individual and, over a span of 10 days, managed to “hire” five women for companionship, using their money to fund visits to high-end establishments, buy new clothes, and even acquire the latest smartphone. The scam came to light in August when police in Putuo District, Shanghai, received a report from a woman using the alias Liu Qian. She claimed that she had been swindled by a 36-year-old man surnamed Chen, who pretended to be a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334206/chinese-homeless-man-fakes-wealth-hires-women-companionship-lives-luxury-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3334206/chinese-homeless-man-fakes-wealth-hires-women-companionship-lives-luxury-life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:00:11 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A young girl in northwestern China who was filmed scavenging for food wearing slippers without socks in the cold weather has attracted attention on social media and placed the plight of her family under the spotlight. The heart-wrenching video was taken by a woman blogger who met with the girl on a suburban street in the Weiyang District of Xian, Shaanxi province. The clip was released on social media on November 11. It shows the girl, nicknamed Yueyue, dressed in a shabby down jacket and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3332603/china-girl-gains-nationwide-sympathy-after-scavenging-food-cold-wearing-slippers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3332603/china-girl-gains-nationwide-sympathy-after-scavenging-food-cold-wearing-slippers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 01:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A wonton street shop owner in China has become a local celebrity for looking like the Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. Yin Zhenggen, 76, who has been nicknamed the Hayao Miyazaki of Nanjing because he bears a striking resemblance to the filmmaker. His shop is also like one that appears in Miyazaki’s fairy tales; it provides free food for people in need. Yin and his wife, Wang Chunlan, have been running the shop in Nanjing, eastern China’s Jiangsu province, for the past four... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3332593/china-food-vendor-gains-fame-resembling-japan-animator-and-offering-free-meals-needy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3332593/china-food-vendor-gains-fame-resembling-japan-animator-and-offering-free-meals-needy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Few areas of China reflect the country’s decades-long economic transformation more vividly than its cities. Rapid development has turned villages into dense urban landscapes and already sizeable metro areas into some of the world’s largest population centres. As the rate of urbanisation slows and the country transitions into a new economic era, we explore how select Chinese cities are navigating the change. Read the rest of our series here. In a remote corner of China’s southwestern Guizhou... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3330729/unforgivable-chinese-county-still-living-shadow-wild-spending-binge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3330729/unforgivable-chinese-county-still-living-shadow-wild-spending-binge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:00:11 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik High technology and low incomes were in sharp focus in China late last week as two of its senior officials visited opposite ends of the country. On a trip to the eastern province of Zhejiang from Thursday to Saturday, Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing urged manufacturers to apply new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to research and development, design, product manufacturing and process optimisation. Zhejiang is home to some of the country’s most innovative companies – firms that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328689/chinas-hi-tech-push-aids-and-poverty-fights-focus-vice-premiers-tour-provinces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328689/chinas-hi-tech-push-aids-and-poverty-fights-focus-vice-premiers-tour-provinces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 09:30:06 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun Yanzi has donated more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to a charity fund in China over the past decade, winning admiration on social media. Top Chinese diva Han Hong revealed that the singer was behind the previously anonymous donations while introducing Sun as a guest at Han’s Beijing concert on October 7, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported. Han established the Beijing Han Hong Love Charity Foundation in 2012. It mainly engages in medical, education and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3328336/singapore-singer-praised-anonymously-donating-us14-million-china-deprived-regions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3328336/singapore-singer-praised-anonymously-donating-us14-million-china-deprived-regions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 08:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Good Samaritan in China has been showered with online praise for providing free shelter for the relatives of hospital patients after he saw them spending nights on hospital floors. Zheng Gang, 39, from Jinan in eastern China’s Shandong province, was diagnosed with a brain tumour during a physical check-up in 2020. He was admitted to the intensive care unit in the Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. He recovered after receiving treatment for 45 days. Zheng said he noticed that the relatives... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326503/chinese-man-sets-house-compassion-families-sick-relatives-nearby-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3326503/chinese-man-sets-house-compassion-families-sick-relatives-nearby-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A pair of Chinese newlyweds who ditched traditional wedding etiquette to save money have been praised for using what they saved to help three orphans. The groom, who uses the nickname Liu Mancang, posted a video online of his wedding speech on September 1. Liu said he and his bride chose to have a simple wedding because they wanted to use the money they saved to donate to three children. The wedding was held in Liu’s hometown in eastern China’s Shandong province, a place known for sticking to... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3324353/china-couple-cut-costs-having-plain-wedding-donating-savings-help-3-deprived-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3324353/china-couple-cut-costs-having-plain-wedding-donating-savings-help-3-deprived-children?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A young Chinese woman who was forced to beg on the streets with her blind and poverty-stricken father at the age of seven has been admitted to university, sparking widespread attention online and a national discussion. In 2013, Zhang Yan, from Nanjiang county in Bazhong, Sichuan province, southwestern China, captured national attention when it was reported that she led her blind father, Zhang Shiming, begging on the streets for survival. In 2010, her father injured one of his eyes on a rusty... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3324057/china-girl-once-begged-blind-dad-gained-national-attention-gets-accepted-university?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3324057/china-girl-once-begged-blind-dad-gained-national-attention-gets-accepted-university?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese mother who delivered food with her 4-year-old sick daughter inside a meal-carrying box so that she could look after her has received sympathy online. The woman, surnamed Zhu, and her child were caught on camera by an online influencer in eastern China’s Anhui province. The 25-year-old delivered food on an electric bicycle in the summer heat while carrying her daughter in the box attached to the vehicle. The girl has a vein-detained needle on one hand and a chemo port on her chest. Her... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3319383/china-courier-puts-sick-daughter-delivery-box-while-working-she-cant-afford-childcare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3319383/china-courier-puts-sick-daughter-delivery-box-while-working-she-cant-afford-childcare?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 01:00:09 +0000 Zhou Xin Zhou Xin Education department authorities of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region did an unusual thing over the weekend. They opened the 2008 files of the gaokao, the national college entrance exam, to determine if rising mainland actress Nashi had committed fraud to enrol in the prestigious Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA). That investigation was initiated after the 35-year-old Nashi caused an outcry on Chinese social media when the actress hinted online that she had not “played fair” in her exam 17... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3315513/china-just-society-economic-woes-erode-public-perception-fairness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3315513/china-just-society-economic-woes-erode-public-perception-fairness?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 23:00:15 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A doctoral student at Tsinghua University, who comes from an impoverished family and excelled in his academic pursuits to gain admission to the prestigious institution years ago, has recently returned to the media spotlight after being appointed as a government adviser for his hometown. Pang Zhongwang gained significant attention in 2017 when he scored an impressive 684 out of 750 in China’s university entrance examination, known as gaokao, despite facing considerable challenges in his family –... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3310715/meet-china-phd-student-pang-zhongwang-who-rises-waste-collector-cultural-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3310715/meet-china-phd-student-pang-zhongwang-who-rises-waste-collector-cultural-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 May 2025 10:00:10 +0000 Beijing has further tightened its management of rural government workers with revised anti-corruption supervision rules for grass-roots officials. The changes mean that after more than a decade of anti-corruption campaigns, China’s system for supervising rural officials has finally been defined, according to one scholar. The revised Regulations on the Honest Performance of Duties by Rural Grass-roots Officials came into force on March 28, state news agency Xinhua reported last week. The document... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3308082/china-extends-anti-corruption-rules-village-chiefs-and-other-grass-roots-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3308082/china-extends-anti-corruption-rules-village-chiefs-and-other-grass-roots-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:00:12 +0000 During a visit to the southwestern province of Guizhou – one of China’s poorest and most indebted areas – President Xi Jinping called for the region to undertake an accelerated economic transition, improve its business climate and better integrate with the country’s other local economies. The president's inspection tour to the mountainous province on Monday and Tuesday – his first after the conclusion of the annual legislative session – also represents a commitment to maintain the country's... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3302928/chinas-xi-jinping-calls-economic-transition-guizhou-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3302928/chinas-xi-jinping-calls-economic-transition-guizhou-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Mar 2025 03:07:47 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan The owner of a high-end hotpot restaurant chain in China has ignited public outrage for suggesting that individuals earning less than 5,000 yuan (US$680) per month should refrain from dining at his establishment. The controversial comment from Du Zhongbing, founder of Banu Hotpot, occurred during a hotpot industry symposium in Sichuan province, southwestern China, and has since gone viral on social media, as reported by China Business News. “Hotpot is not intended to cater to grass roots... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3300932/china-eatery-owner-criticised-telling-people-earning-us680-month-not-dine-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3300932/china-eatery-owner-criticised-telling-people-earning-us680-month-not-dine-out?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:00:11 +0000 Despite the dire state of Sino-US relations, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping can strike a deal which will benefit their countries. Such a deal would benefit the global economy, since the US and China produce around 40 per cent of the world’s goods and services. For Chinese leaders to reach an agreement with Trump, who styles himself as a deal-maker, they must understand the factors that led to him being elected twice. As my book Is China a Menacing Empire? points out,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3297468/another-us-china-trade-war-how-about-war-income-inequality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3297468/another-us-china-trade-war-how-about-war-income-inequality?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Feb 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Yating Yang Yating Yang A young woman in China with cerebral palsy has deeply moved people on mainland social media after she was found selling hairpins on the street to support herself. The woman, known by the pseudonym Huanping, who is estranged from her parents, has also said that her greatest dream is to take her grandmother on a trip. Huanping, from Tangshan in northern China’s Hebei province, was discovered selling her wares outside a shopping mall. Her unsteady gait caught the attention of an online content... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3294668/abandoned-disabled-china-girl-sells-hairpins-street-dreams-trip-grandma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3294668/abandoned-disabled-china-girl-sells-hairpins-street-dreams-trip-grandma?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Feb 2025 01:00:10 +0000 Zhejiang, one of China’s richest provinces, has vowed to achieve “common prosperity” by 2035 – a marquee policy goal of President Xi Jinping that sparked extensive debate upon its unveiling, but has been a less frequent subject of official rhetoric since. The manufacturing powerhouse and innovation hub in eastern China has laid out a four-phase road map to prosperity for all its people in a decade’s time, according to a press conference held on Monday by the provincial government. Referring to a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3293748/chinas-powerhouse-province-renews-common-prosperity-pledge-2035?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3293748/chinas-powerhouse-province-renews-common-prosperity-pledge-2035?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:05:27 +0000 This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech in Brazil titled “Building a just world of common development”, at the G20 summit’s first session on the global fight against hunger and poverty. He spoke of China’s poverty elimination campaign and its commitment to bringing common development and prosperity to the world. “Common” is a keyword in China’s policies. “Common prosperity” and “common development” might sound like communist slogans, but in China, they are rallying cries for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287287/world-crisis-needs-more-leaders-embrace-chinas-big-family-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287287/world-crisis-needs-more-leaders-embrace-chinas-big-family-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Nov 2024 01:30:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu An intern teacher at a Shanghai secondary school has come under fire for asking students to answer a questionnaire that ranks their family’s financial status. A photo circulating online shows a question that suggests the students at Shanghai Longming Secondary School to assess their family’s social ranks. The question, which is accompanied with a graphic of a ladder, asks them to choose from one, which stands for “the most indecent and lowest-paid jobs” that their parents have, to 10, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3285727/china-teacher-panned-classism-quiz-ranking-family-status-indecent-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3285727/china-teacher-panned-classism-quiz-ranking-family-status-indecent-better?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2024 06:00:09 +0000 In Zhongwei, a city in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, fighting poverty seems to be a never-ending battle. While the country as a whole has made tremendous gains in living standards, in July, the city’s Shapotou district announced that 28 more individuals had been added to a poverty relapse watch list. The officials who update the list maintain dossiers on families that are in dire financial straits and aim to stop them falling below the poverty line, while also ensuring that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3281078/its-really-exhausting-are-chinas-lauded-anti-poverty-triumphs-risk-vanishing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3281078/its-really-exhausting-are-chinas-lauded-anti-poverty-triumphs-risk-vanishing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2024 22:00:14 +0000 Oxfam’s core mission globally is to combat poverty and social injustice and address the root causes of inequality. The organisation operates through various programmes dedicated to economic justice, gender equality, climate action and humanitarian response, all aimed at fostering a world where everyone can thrive and live with dignity. As a former vice-chairman of Oxfam Hong Kong, I have always been inspired by the organisation’s core values and significant contributions to social justice.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3277189/why-china-taking-wealth-redistribution-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3277189/why-china-taking-wealth-redistribution-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Sep 2024 01:30:07 +0000 Western media analysts often fail to grasp the significance of the reforms initiated at the third plenum of the Communist Party of China, which recently concluded in Beijing. The Communist Party typically holds seven plenary sessions during each five-year term of its Central Committee, and the third is particularly important as major policy directions and reforms are often introduced. The 1978 third plenum marked the beginning of China’s reform and opening up, a policy introduced by Deng... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273373/what-china-watchers-should-know-about-where-country-headed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273373/what-china-watchers-should-know-about-where-country-headed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 08:45:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A 13-year-old boy in China, who scavenges for less than 10 yuan (US$1.4) a day to support himself and his sick uncle, has been diagnosed with kidney disease, breaking many hearts online. Yuan Liushou, from central China’s Henan province, was born with only one kidney in 2011. He was diagnosed with late-stage uremia, a fatal condition caused by a kidney that cannot filter waste from blood, in 2019. Yuan’s father died when he was six. His mother abandoned him the next day. The boy, whose... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3270754/sick-china-scavenger-boy-earns-us14-day-help-ill-uncle-captivates-8-million-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3270754/sick-china-scavenger-boy-earns-us14-day-help-ill-uncle-captivates-8-million-online?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 08:15:09 +0000 Love knows no boundaries, and one salesman in China has proven what real dedication looks like. To maintain a long-distance relationship, a 35-year-old man who works in Beijing has turned his car into his home, and travels 500 km every weekend to see his girlfriend in Shanxi province in northern China. The man, surnamed Huang, travels by train between Beijing and the Shanxi city of Taiyuan every Friday, leaving his car in the Chinese capital for when he returns. To save money, he sleeps in his... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3262735/china-salesman-lost-all-floods-sleeps-car-save-money-weekly-trips-see-girlfriend-who-lives-500km?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3262735/china-salesman-lost-all-floods-sleeps-car-save-money-weekly-trips-see-girlfriend-who-lives-500km?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 01:00:14 +0000 A tiny living space occupied by a migrant worker in China has caused consternation on mainland social media amid an ongoing official clampdown on online misinformation. The 1.5-metre-long plumbing cabinet in Shanghai appears to be the rented home of a 25-year-old man who stands 1.7 metres tall, meaning he has to sleep every night with his knees bent. In a viral video on Douyin, China’s TikTok, a vlogger sought to cast doubt on the worker’s story. “Is this a drawer?” the vlogger asks as he... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3261695/misinformation-row-hits-tiny-china-cabinet-flat-where-man-sleeps-legs-bent-uses-bottle-toilet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3261695/misinformation-row-hits-tiny-china-cabinet-flat-where-man-sleeps-legs-bent-uses-bottle-toilet?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 May 2024 01:00:22 +0000 A thoughtful nephew in China who transformed the look of his shabby homeless uncle and gifted him 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) to attend a family reunion, has captured hearts on mainland social media. The story began 25 years ago when Tan Changgen, originally from Loudi in the central Hunan province, lost contact with his family while away looking for work. Recently, social worker Zhang Shiwei found him living under a bridge in southeastern Guangdong province. “We inquired about his circumstances and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3255074/kind-china-nephew-transforms-homeless-uncle-bossy-ceo-gifts-him-us1400-family-reunion-after-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3255074/kind-china-nephew-transforms-homeless-uncle-bossy-ceo-gifts-him-us1400-family-reunion-after-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Apr 2024 10:00:16 +0000 Last month, Panzhihua, a city in western China’s Sichuan province, announced this would be its “breakthrough” year in establishing itself as a common prosperity pilot zone. It is following the example of Zhejiang province in the east, another such pilot zone which was set up in 2021. The idea is to push for a high-quality development that focuses on closing the economic gap between regions, between urban and rural areas, and in income. This is encouraging news, but will such efforts work? Will... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:30:11 +0000 For thousands of years, China was a predominantly agricultural society, rooted in tradition and a distinctive culture. But over the past four decades, unprecedented reforms have transformed China into a largely industrial, commercial and urban society. The population that lives in cities has grown from 19 per cent in 1980 to 65 per cent last year. Villages have been hollowed out. Adults left for work in the cities, leaving behind the old and young. Major characteristics of China, such as being... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3246892/chinas-first-coffee-village-highlights-potential-rural-revival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3246892/chinas-first-coffee-village-highlights-potential-rural-revival?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2024 11:30:09 +0000 An 84-year-old woman in eastern China has been affectionately dubbed “sweater grandma” due to her hobby of knitting jumpers and donating them to poverty-stricken children across the mainland. Han Cuiju, a resident of Ningbo in the eastern province of Zhejiang, has hand-knitted more than 1,500 sweaters over a period of a decade and a half. Her caring efforts began in 2005 when her daughter read about children in poverty stricken areas who were freezing in winter because they could not afford warm... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3246293/winter-warmer-kind-hearted-china-grandma-84-knits-1500-jumpers-15-years-countrys-poverty-stricken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3246293/winter-warmer-kind-hearted-china-grandma-84-knits-1500-jumpers-15-years-countrys-poverty-stricken?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jan 2024 06:00:10 +0000 A 13-year-old boy found 158,000 yuan (US$22,000) on the street and took the money to the police rather than keeping it for his family even though they were in a precarious financial position. The family of Yang Xuan from Jiangsu province in eastern China has struggled to make ends meet since the boy’s father was hospitalised after a cerebral haemorrhage. On December 3, Yang was walking home with his mother, Zhu Xiaorong, when he noticed a white bag lying next to a stone tablet. He opened it out... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3245684/china-boy-hands-bag-containing-us22000-police-despite-dire-family-situation-sick-father-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3245684/china-boy-hands-bag-containing-us22000-police-despite-dire-family-situation-sick-father-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2023 10:00:13 +0000 A man in China travelled between two provinces to return 200 yuan (US$28) he had borrowed from a police officer to get himself home when he was completely broke. Two months ago, an anonymous man, whose age is unknown, was working in Hubei province in central China but lost his job and was trying to return to his hometown in adjacent Henan province. He had spent all his money and even sold his phone for cash but could no longer afford transportation. The man turned to the police station for help... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3245563/china-man-travels-far-return-us28-borrowed-police-2-months-ago-when-penniless-and-desperate-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3245563/china-man-travels-far-return-us28-borrowed-police-2-months-ago-when-penniless-and-desperate-return?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Dec 2023 10:00:07 +0000 This is the second part in a series that explores the current state of consumption across China, including a look at the expenses that many families find most pressing. In the span of just two weeks, Li Ying’s meagre monthly pension of 2,000 yuan (US$275) was gone – all spent on the alleviation of her chronic neck pain. Although she lives in one of China’s most affluent areas with relatively strong welfare benefits, Zhejiang province, the 67-year-old farmer opts to lead a frugal life and sees... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3231155/chinas-heathcare-costs-fuel-consumption-ageing-society-alarms-are-blaring-medical-insurance-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3231155/chinas-heathcare-costs-fuel-consumption-ageing-society-alarms-are-blaring-medical-insurance-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:00:16 +0000 In Hong Kong, the number of poor people and the size of the poverty gap seem to have worsened in recent years. As the city grapples with the challenge of poverty, perhaps we can learn from Guizhou, a previously impoverished province that has transformed itself into a region of hope and confidence. It boils down to making use of the area’s unique characteristics, building up inclusive economies and making the government more efficient and effective in responding to residents’ daily needs. During... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230296/guizhou-offers-hong-kong-lessons-building-bridges-and-tackling-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230296/guizhou-offers-hong-kong-lessons-building-bridges-and-tackling-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:15:08 +0000 This is the second story in a three-part series about China’s employment environment, from migrant workers and fresh graduates to new job sources and the private sector. For less than a cup of coffee at most major chains, a migrant worker in a major Chinese city can rent a bed for the night. But oftentimes, that is contingent on finding work and getting paid that day. In the southeastern outskirts of Beijing, amid a record-breaking heatwave scorching the capital, migrant workers starved of both... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3226978/chinas-most-desperate-migrant-workers-jostle-temporary-jobs-losing-means-they-sleep-outside-and-stop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3226978/chinas-most-desperate-migrant-workers-jostle-temporary-jobs-losing-means-they-sleep-outside-and-stop?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jul 2023 22:00:24 +0000 When the fog of global gloom gets too hard to bear, my thoughts often flicker back to Monty Python’s 1979 epic Life of Brian and Eric Idle tied to a cross in Golgotha singing: “Always look on the bright side of life”. Even in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, amid US debt crisis negotiations, fears of recession, Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the deepening US-China conflict, glacial progress in addressing climate change, Idle can still induce a wry, if grim, smile. But there are more constructive... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222635/despite-war-climate-fears-and-economic-woes-life-really-getting-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3222635/despite-war-climate-fears-and-economic-woes-life-really-getting-better?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2023 07:45:14 +0000 More than 80 per cent of rich Chinese have donated money to various causes and most want to increase philanthropic activity as the government pushes towards “common prosperity” in the years ahead, a recently released survey shows. The survey, which covered 1,100 private banking clients with at least 5 million yuan (US$727,268) of investible assets at China Merchants Bank, provides a glimpse into the attitudes of high-net worth Chinese amid efforts to reduce the country’s wealth gap. A number of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3216324/more-rich-chinese-looking-donate-amid-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity-campaign-survey-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3216324/more-rich-chinese-looking-donate-amid-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity-campaign-survey-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Apr 2023 11:30:10 +0000 Economic uncertainty and concerns over transparency in China’s philanthropic sector have left many private business owners hesitant to answer President Xi Jinping’s call to support his signature initiative to reduce income inequality. On Monday, at a meeting with private sector representatives during the “two sessions”, Xi urged entrepreneurs to give to charity and “share the fruits of growth” with employees as part of his “common prosperity” drive. Private firms should “have a sense of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3212807/chinas-two-sessions-2023-xi-jinpings-call-common-prosperity-risks-going-unanswered-covid-weary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3212807/chinas-two-sessions-2023-xi-jinpings-call-common-prosperity-risks-going-unanswered-covid-weary?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:00:15 +0000 The Chinese government is redoubling efforts to help rural people moving to cities tap into welfare services as it presses on with a poverty alleviation drive and tries to shore up economic growth against demographic headwinds. In a notice on Saturday, 19 government departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Finance and the People’s Bank of China, pledged to improve conditions in resettlement areas, create job opportunities and give more people... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3208360/china-expand-rural-access-urban-welfare-benefits-push-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3208360/china-expand-rural-access-urban-welfare-benefits-push-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jan 2023 22:00:18 +0000 China must tackle the yawning economic divide between cities and the countryside if it wants to combat income inequality and deliver on its “common prosperity” promises, outspoken former finance minister Lou Jiwei has said. Lou Jiwei, who is now a senior political adviser to the central government, said policymakers need to bring a reformist mindset to land, welfare and tax, while easing market concern that the wealthy will be targeted to narrow the wealth gap. “We do have a rather big gap in... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3206567/chinas-urban-rural-dual-economic-structure-fueling-inequality-says-ex-finance-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3206567/chinas-urban-rural-dual-economic-structure-fueling-inequality-says-ex-finance-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jan 2023 04:00:11 +0000 Images of a tiny suburban living space in China where the tenant can sit on the toilet and cook at the same time which is being marketed for its “all-inclusive” design have gone viral online. The six-square-metre room in Shanghai is being offered for rent at 380 yuan (US$55) per month and has triggered an online buzz after a property agent shared a video of it on social media late last month. It was renovated from a storeroom under the stairs of a three-storey house in a village in the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3205419/you-can-cook-sitting-toilet-6-square-metre-chinese-nano-flat-under-stairs-slammed-affront-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3205419/you-can-cook-sitting-toilet-6-square-metre-chinese-nano-flat-under-stairs-slammed-affront-human?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jan 2023 06:00:13 +0000 The Chinese government has said it has averted a large-scale return to poverty after a difficult year riddled with coronavirus outbreaks and economic challenges, but according to experts the declining income of poor workers remains the real issue at hand. On Sunday, the National Rural Revitalization Administration (NRRA) acknowledged there had been challenges this year in some regions of China, especially among highly vulnerable migrant workers. “Due to the impact of coronavirus and natural... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204608/coronavirus-and-natural-disasters-not-enough-derail-chinas-anti-poverty-efforts-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204608/coronavirus-and-natural-disasters-not-enough-derail-chinas-anti-poverty-efforts-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 13:00:14 +0000 After more than three decades in the demolition industry, Li Jianhong is finding it increasingly difficult to earn a living. China’s property sector is in crisis following the introduction of rules limiting borrowing by developers. Crippling coronavirus lockdowns have made the situation even worse Li has watched work in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, dry up. “We can’t even afford to eat,” said Li, a 58-year-old migrant worker from Anhui province in eastern China. I can only borrow... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3203137/chinas-pivot-zero-covid-little-relief-workers-fighting-survival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3203137/chinas-pivot-zero-covid-little-relief-workers-fighting-survival?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:00:11 +0000 Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com will slash the salaries of around 2,000 senior managers by up to 20 per cent, as part of efforts to boost housing and education benefits for its rank-and-file employees, company founder Richard Liu Qiangdong announced in an internal email on Tuesday. JD.com will establish a 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) housing fund for all employees of the group and its subsidiaries, according to the email, which was seen by the South China Morning Post and its content... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3200566/chinese-e-commerce-giant-jdcom-cut-pay-2000-senior-managers-amid-efforts-boost-housing-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3200566/chinese-e-commerce-giant-jdcom-cut-pay-2000-senior-managers-amid-efforts-boost-housing-education?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:45:18 +0000 China should prevent big fluctuations in economic growth and ensure a sense of security for the middle class as part of its push for common prosperity, according to the former head of a government think tank. Ma Xiaohe, a former director and a researcher with the Macroeconomic Research Institute within the National Development and Reform Commission, believes China should establish a mature mechanism for wealth accumulation. President Xi Jinping signalled more robust regulation to narrow the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200113/china-urged-ensure-stable-economy-fix-fragile-wealth-accumulation-seeking-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200113/china-urged-ensure-stable-economy-fix-fragile-wealth-accumulation-seeking-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:30:11 +0000 China has launched a plan to turn a county neighbouring Shanghai into a model for narrowing the country’s yawning wealth gap, shedding light on some of the metrics used to measure progress under “common prosperity”. After Beijing designated the eastern province of Zhejiang a demonstration zone last year in its drive to reduce inequality and create a more equal society, Jiashan county has been named as a leading trial area for “common prosperity”, according to a guideline published on Tuesday by... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3198173/china-names-model-county-inequality-reduction-xi-jinping-accelerates-transition-modern-socialist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3198173/china-names-model-county-inequality-reduction-xi-jinping-accelerates-transition-modern-socialist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Nov 2022 01:00:17 +0000