Beijing Razes Migrant Neighborhoods, Evicting Tens of Thousands

Now we get an idea of how China transformed itself from a Maoist agrarian society into the second-largest economy in the word in a matter of two decades; and how Beijing and other big cities became showpieces for urban development. It did it by copying all the capitalist methods in the economic sphere, while remaining a communist dictatorship in the political arena. As a dictatorship, it is answerable to none for the excesses it commits that may hurt a few, if the ultimate goal it professes is prosperity for all. The Marxian dictum that the end justifies the means is very much at work in China today. But the fact, as the article reveals, is that prosperity for all is still a far cry in China. If the benefits of its being the second-largest economy in the world had reached the rural areas, people living there would not have chosen to trade in their life for a life of privation and indignity, in the abandoned neighborhoods on the periphery of Beijing and other big cities. But for enterprising reporters like the author of this article and for the advent of social media, we would not have known about this privation and indignity. Mark it: Before long, China will be held accountable for what it is doing to a section of its society in its enthusiasm to catch up to the U.S. as an economic power. To paraphrase the famous saying: What good is it if a man wins the whole world but loses his soul?

Sounds like a Capitalist Cultural Revolution. Twenty years later they'll say why did we destroy our heritage?

Another day, another city, another country where the very people who make life comfortable for the already comfortable, are treated like vermin. The cruelty of the Chinese government is nothing compared to these comments by the very comfortable who also view the help as necessary vermin.

I'm amazed that they refer to their own countrymen as migrants.

Thank God people in the US never need to worry about being evicted from their homes.

How will the "upper caste" people in Beijing get their service once they got rid of these "lower caste" people? Who's going to deliver for Alibaba or clean their streets?

Is it impossible to interview representatives of city government for an article like this? I would have liked to have their answer to these questions: How much and what kinds of advance notice did you provide to people living in the demolished buildings? What programs, if any, are offered to help them after demolition? The fourth paragraph starts with this: "The city government says they are being pushed out for their own safety, after a recent deadly fire in a migrant settlement.” But there’s no attribution or reference. Later, statements about the government viewpoint seem to be supported by links embedded in the phrases I’ve bracketed here: “…officials hastily [listed 25,395 safety hazards]…” “City officials [denied] calling the the rural laborers a 'low-end' group…” “…a speech to officials that [leaked onto the internet]…” However, the first two of these lead to Chinese-language webpages and the third goes to a video of the speech, in Chinese. So on the one hand I'm deploring these actions and of course feeling deep pity for the displaced people, and on the other hand I'm wondering if this piece is propaganda (and if so, why).

As a Chinese reader, I have to say thank you NYT.

A strip of businesses, located to the south of a large international school in Shunyi, was ordered closed last week. Gone is our access to a German bakery, a Brittish sausage-maker, the "vegetable lady", a mediocre car wash, and, most upsetting, a small beer and wine shop that carried an impressive selection of local and international craft beer.

If the housing safety of these migrant laborers was the primary concern, why did the Beijing government provide actual assistance in transitioning them into other housing? Instead, they declared these buildings (which they have known to be hazardous for decades) unsafe overnight and proceed to demolish them. This sudden reversal of housing policy is born out of a fear of actual liability (when these building cause actual hazard) and the unwanting of migrants. The plight of migrant laborers across these major industrial coastal cities in China has been highlighted over the years. The sudden demolition of a wave of deemed unsafe housing is just a further example of the maltreatment of the Chinese working class. These are essentially the building blocks of Chinese industrialism. They are the people who go to the factories at gruesome hours and low wages. They are actual second class citizens across these cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc). Because of the rigidity of the hukou (household registration) system, these migrant laborers are not guaranteed the same rights as those who are registered in the cities. These people are denied access to health care insurance and schooling opportunities for their children. The horrible truth, as one of the quoted laborers in the article illustrated, is that the laws in China are selectively enforced. The law in China is enforced only when the results do not run counter to the interests of the CCP.

The fact that the Chinese government is using the recent fire in that village as a way to justify their actions is unbelievably horrid! The quotes from the migrant's I found truly moving because the Chinese government can only see the situation from the political point of view which is more or less corrupt or biased. When you take a look at the comments made by the villagers you see the direct effect on them. The migrants are working hard and are the backbone of the Beijing infrastructure. What good is it to cast them out? I do see the flipside of the argument with population control but why control the population if you cannot sustain them without the migrant workers?

Give it 6 months and there will be new luxury apartments going up in these same places. The Chinese government basically needs to force gentrification to make their population goal. They’re just taking the current trends of eviction in US big cities to the extreme. I mean. It worked for silcon valley. China is counting on the idea that some of these workers will ‘leave’ for purposes of the census and just commute 2 hours each way. They’re not doing anything we in the US havent already shown will work.

It won't be long before well connected developers get the land for cheap.

When it comes to countries such as China, it’s hard to see such a disaster and not have the idea spring into one’s head of any government-related ulterior motives. Regardless of whether the Chinese government ignited the fire, it is far from arguable that they have used the tragedy to facilitate the meeting of their goals, from Xi Jinping’s effort to outright eliminate poverty in two years and, as mentioned in the article, Beijing’s promise to keep the city’s population under 23 million in the same time frame. These goals would be met as a max exodus of poor people (yet still above China’s poverty line) from the city would allow many impoverished Chinese citizens to come to Beijing and barely make it above the poverty line in time for Xi’s deadline. Many people might see this article and think that this is nothing out of the ordinary for China, however it proves that the country still cares more about maintaining its image by meeting goals that initially seem unrealistic through the manipulation of tragedy and social loopholes. I only bring this up because some people tend not to think about the fact that China and the United States have such an important financial relationship in spite of China’s malignant social practices.

Although it's sad that these people lost their homes, at least it's warranted. Getting people out of a place where a fire that killed 19 people could have potentially saved a lot more lives. Getting the migrant workers out of these neighborhoods also provides a band-aid to the ever rapidly expanding population of Beijing, which was going to happen anyway, the fire just accelerated the process.

Good pictures but many of them could have been taken in any city, save the crowds walking to lodge protest (if they were). The landlords will receive compensation for the structures, the residence has to make do and that is nothing new to them. The Story: Urban arrears how seen 250-300 million immigrants pour into the cities (US population apx. 325 million). The one restriction the government has is controlling residence rights as education and social services. The overall plan has been to develop ‘suburbs’ to the overcrowded area and relocate rural migrants with new affordable housing and sanitation – jobs will follow many private sector generated. Those displaced very likely have options – a Chinese characteristic often call guangxi. Xi theme is to push for greater income equality by redistributing employment. LOL. Beijing is always in process ....

All these people want is a home, a place they can dream on. They burnt their youth and exhausted their passion. At the end of the day, the shabby apartments they hold so dear is nothing but expendables to the government, who feeds on the very people they treat like disposable ants. Where will they go? Doesn't matter. More will come when newer and more expensive condominiums rise from the rubbles.

Misleading reporting. This is actually a story of corruption. Criminals built these illegal houses without having the right to use the land. They bribed enforcement officials for many years. After the fire, the central government suddenly realised such places exist and ordered a crackdown. Renters are the victims, but the criminals have made hundred times their money.

Ahhh, the joys of central control. Maybe you "progressives" should think twice.

Are these people to be counted among those millions of citizens we're always hearing about whom the CCP likes to take the credit for "lifting out of poverty"? Sadly not, it seems. It would be fairer to say they are people who with the sweat of their brows actually helped lift others out of poverty, whilst all the time their hard work was leading inexorably to their own destitution. A government that has no compunction about betraying its people in this way in return for their labours, and at the same time has the gall to take the credit for the positive results of those labours, is already way out of sight, and only set to plunge deeper, down the rabbit hole of absolutism.

Once again the Chinese show how an advanced intelligent culture handles social problems in a logical way free of the mental gymnastics that prevent America and Western European nations from solving problems of a similar nature. They must be highly amused by the hordes of muslims which Western Europe has allowed into its borders.

Ain't Socialism great?

Welcome to Capitalism.

White people pushing out Mexicans is understandable; Chinese pushing out Chinese is not. Time for all Chinese to be treated equal by the government.

This is a good article and a good reminder to people who love to point to China with the "well, they have high speed rail, and this and that, but we're incapable" nonsense - ignoring the reality that a Communist dictatorship doesn't care about property or individual rights or environmental considerations.

Well, this whole fire hazard deal is a bunch of baloney. While I understand the ramifications of the tragedy that occurred killing 19 people, this is really not enough evidence to take away so many good people’s homes. While these migrant houses may potentially become fire hazards, it is so unlikely for this type of occurrence to happen again. Taking away Chinese citizens home is not the answer. This is clearly a sorry excuse for demolishing the homes migrant workers to force them to return to their villages of origin. While migrants may be a nuisance for the city of Beijing they are still Chinese just like everyone else in the city and should have the same rights as their better-off peers. There is undoubtedly another solution that the city’s government could look into that would not require taking away the homes of tens of thousands of people. I mean I cannot begin to imagine what kind of panic mode I would go into if a government agent came to my door one day and told me he was going to destroy my house. We can only hope they find a better solution.

The Chinese government taking a page out of the Republican Party playbook.

The cruelty involved in the destruction of these homes should remind us that China is still a Marxist country. China has abandoned the economic half of Marxist theory, but it clings to the idea of thought control and totalitarianism. Marx said that when the final stage of communism was reached, the state would wither away, since without economic differences there would no longer be any reason for people to disagree with each other. This idiotic goal explains why Marxist states have always been so merciless. Marxist rulers believe that citizens with their own opinions are relics of the past and therefore have no right to live or prosper. One of the consequences of this belief is famine. China experienced the worst famine in all human history because Chairman Mao forced farmers to melt their tools and donate the metal to the government. Could anything have been more stupid than that?

and - like Singapore - after they've destroyed all the old hutongs (family courtyard dwellings) that made life in Beijing interesting, someone will decide to restore one - to attract the tourists - after they've realised they've removed everything that made it attractive to tourists ...

How terribly cruel. Thank you NY Times for making it possible for us to at least notice.

As the worlds corporations become more secure and productive with automation we will see many workers at less skilled jobs not necessary. It is predicted millions will be without jobs. These people will no longer be considered necessary, and even a problem, for the successful people that will be able to benefit from the new automated economy. Governments will remove them, they will lose any "safety nets" , health care will not be available, education opportunities withdrawn. In the USA we are seeing hundreds of thousands below poverty, health care being removed, safety nets withdrawn, drug addiction and epidemic. No chance for an education. Jobs being replaced by automation and a world market opened for the corporations. The continuing massive transfer of wealth from the 80% to the 20%. Puerto Rico , loss of homes etc. being ignored since they are of no economic value. A ignorant, unqualified mad man leading the most powerful country yet supported by aware people who recognize his danger but are willing to go along to promote their own gain. China is less subtle about its plans.

I suppose that the government could be more humane about this, giving more notice, etc. But what's the other side of the story NY Times? Will it make sense to have shanty towns crop all over the country similar to Brazil or the Philippines? As China works its way to modernity, these are the real human sacrifices that are made by unfortunately the most voiceless in society.

Most Americans will never comprehend that we are actually “illegal immigrants” as we have left the city where we were born and lived in a big city like Beijing and Shanghai. “Facts Straight” described a scene like hell, but that’s still the best we can get. If we do not sneak into Beijing, our lives in the hometown will be even worse. The government’s excuse for this clean-up is there will be fire hazard, but you’ll never meet their standards, because there is no standard. They’re just want to clean-up the “trash population” even if some of us have master degrees. They always want to do this, and finally they have an excuse.

What an outstanding government. This is why in a decade, China has built 12,500 miles of high-speed rail, connecting all its major cities, more than the rest of the world combined. Sure, some individual rights get infringed, but it's for the greater good. In comparison, we have talked about connecting LA to SF for decades and not a single mile has been laid. And the Acela between NYC and D.C. is utterly pathetic and should be considered snail speed.

Those workers had a year's notice, there were big CONDEMNED notices on the buildings but the workers hung on to the bitter end because Beijing wages and they were making the most of it. They make 10x more money in Beijing than they can make back home. It's not like they're being thrown onto the street. Almost all own their own homes, anyway. They'll just have to go home now, as they've been told they would for a year. No-one was under any illusions. They knew party was going to end.

China is fascinating!

Most of the 40+ story apartment buildings in Beijing have 4 to 5 floors beneath ground level where migrants live in tiny 4' x 6' rooms separated by sheets of plastic. The rooms have a single light bulb in the ceiling, concrete floors, and no natural light or ventilation. Tens and tens of thousands of migrants are crammed into these subterranean nightmarish apartments where rents average about $70 per month; There's no running water or toilets and the smell of sweat is overwhelming. The living conditions are appalling. When you walk past these apartment complexes you don't realize there's an entire city beneath the streets of Beijing.

Good piece and welcome photography.