Tuesday, 28 July 2009
-
Poverty in Pudong Makes Me Ashamed
I paid ¥20 for a cab ride down to People’s Park (人民公园), ¥10 to see the Gaudi exhibit at the MOCA, ¥40 for lunch at Pizza Hut, ¥50 for a shuttle ride to the Oriental Pearl Tower, another ¥50 for dinner and ¥1o for extraneous expenses. I dropped ¥170 like it was nothing because in my mind that was only $10.
My friend (at the time) JC and I walked along the Huangpu River that night. We saw a boy in ripped rags and torn slippers. He looked about 10 years old. He approached us raising a flower in his hand and said,
“一块，一块。要不要花？”(One dollar, one dollar. Do you want flowers?)
He haggled a little. We politely declined. I turned around and watched him zig-zag his way down the path. He made sure not to miss a single couple. JC and I sat down on the stone-rimmed flowerbed and watched the boy pace back and forth under the moon light.
“一块，一块，” he would say, “一块，一块， 要不要花？”
一块 (yi kuai) was less than 15¢.
He approached us again. This time, we took the time to talk to him. Actually, JC did all the talking. I sat there while the boy told us his story. I don’t remember the details but it’s not the details that matter. It’s the bigger picture. He lived across the river. His family was poor. He sold flowers to make a living. He worked from sun up until his uncle came to get him. But it was already past 10pm. How much longer did he have to work? Then I had an epiphany. That could have been my little brother. That could have been me. It was only by chance I wasn’t born into poverty. That was the bigger picture. It could have been any of us.
Before we left JC slipped ¥50 into the boy’s hand. The boy left and I cried. For whatever reason, I’m still not sure. JC and I made plans to meet up with some friends at Attica. So I put on my happy face, paid the ¥100 cover charge and headed straight to the bar. At that particular moment, I was ashamed of myself for living the way I did. Something in me began to changed. I felt it that night.
-
recommend
- recs 6
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to tripcrazed's Tripcrazed Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in tripcrazed's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: Ms_Moca@xanga
- Name: Monica
- Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States
- About Me: Art. Museum. Theater. Broadway. Music. Drawing. Leisure readings. Intelligent men. Funny Guys. Dancing. Whip Cream. The city at night. Romances. Crossword puzzles. Everything bagel toasted with cream cheese. Cookie dough ice cream. Starbucks' Caramel Macchiato. Buffalo chicken with blue cheese & a Corona with lime.Traveling. Quality Time. Sunny Days & Blue Skies.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 21 Views: 0 6567 Comments: 0 75 View all posts by Ms_Moca@xanga
Comments (23)
It is not just Shanghai, same for every major city in China. China has 1.3 billion ppl, that's 6X US population. Imagine you have 6X ppl under poverty here in the states. It's just life that is over there ~!~
That picture breaks my heart :(
This makes me sad. The things we take for granted here are the things that some people wish they had.
:( I wish I could help all people like that.
@S0N1@xanga - same :(
It's a shame really. One day when I'm rich I want to go to poor countries and help those people. Anyone that needs it.
Of course, the problem with giving them a lot of money is it might cause riots or hostile people to hurt and kill. Because thats the nature of things. :(
aww that made me tear up :( I will definitely try to remember that prior to purchasing anything unnecessary.
xx Amie
There are mainlanders (Hongkongers call people of Mainland China mainlanders) who come to Hong Kong to buy houses and pay several millions Hong Kong dollars (about a million U.S. dollars) in one go. That is why the property market in Hong Kong is booming now despite the world financial crisis. I think it is an irony for a “socialist country” to have such great disparity of income and wealth among its citizens.
When I was little I was terrified of Chinese panhandling kids because my mom told me that local gangs kidnapped them and forced them to beg for the gangs with no gain on the kids' side. And when the kids got too old to be cute they would cut off a limb or give them a baby to haul around to increase earnings. Good incentive to hold tight on to my mother's hand!
@black_lie@xanga - Sounds a lot like the recent film Slumdog Millionaire (although set in India).
There's poverty everywhere. It is a great awakening call though when you realize how much you've been taking for granted.
that just goes to show, poverty is everywhere and not all asians and asian countries are "well off". i assume pudong is in china.
@echois23@xanga - Yes, it definitely was a reality check. Unfortunately, the truth isn't always peaches and cream.
@choyshinglin@xanga - "I think it is an irony for a “socialist country” to have such great disparity of income and wealth among its citizens." - That is the absolute truth. In Shanghai, western corporations build the Hyatts and in the alley way is a family living in a cardboard box. The disparity right next to each other, literally.
@black_lie@xanga - I've heard of that too. That's why I always think twice when I see child beggars. At the same time, it hurts to just turn my cheek and walk away.
@d0llh0use@xanga - Yes, Pudong is in Shanghai, China.
not just pudong... happens everywhere.... it's really sad... it reminds me of claire sterk's article on her research with prostitution, and how she would tear up when she drove away in her car to her own warm house while the others had to be left waiting in the cold...
@black_lie@xanga - DDDDDDDDDDDDD:
Poverty has been around for a LONG time...i find it sad that we still don't have a solution to stop poverty in the world..the only real thing i could do is always be thankful with what i got..volunteering/donating time money to local shelters is always helpful too.
@nooitzben@xanga - Jeffrey Sachs wrote a book call "The End of Poverty." In it, he says that we can end poverty in 25 years but it won't happen because people are greedy and selfish.
@Ms_Moca@xanga - That's true the truth is sometimes bitter and unpleasant still I prefer it to the lie
this picture makes me sad, and of course if anyone is to go through this in real life or even saw the little boy before their own eyes it will just be a great wake up call to everybody. I guess people don't need all these materialistic items that we have in the city, and just give a little to this poor or even just poor people in general. Spend less to help a little, this picture is a heart broker
When i traveled to Cusco Peru, seeing how poor the native people are, it reconfirmed my hate for materialism and consumerism.
check this out, Story of Stuff
That photo is heartbreaking.
And while it is true some people are unfortunate to be born into poverty, many also choose not to help themselves, and beggars that I see on intersections here in California make me feel disgusted, because my mom said that most of them use the money for alcohol or cigarettes.
I feel for the people who live in poverty, but it`s so hard to distinguish between the real and the phonies.
China is a very big country and has 1.3 billion people. It's very hard to end poverty.
I was out by the Xintiandi area, drinking/clubbing/enjoying the nightlife out there, I went outside for a bit to make a call on my cell, I saw some old women with kids standing on the street obviously homeless, I gave them each a few bucks chinese, I've never been swarmed by so many people in my whole life. I too was counting in American dollars, so I gave them like a buck or two (American) each, which I guess made a big difference to them (or at least I hope it did.)
We are too lucky. Girl, your post make me down in the early morning, sob sob...