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In the past, those heart-wrenching beggars could be seen on the streets and alleys, on train platforms, at subway station entrances, and even under overpasses. Dressed in shabby clothes and emaciated faces, they either hold a child in their arms or play the role of a handicapped, reaching out to beg passers-by.
Their hair was messy, and their eyes were full of helplessness and longing, which made people feel pity.
However, now such scenes have faded from view, as if the beggars have disappeared from this world. Before we know it, they have quietly withdrawn from our sight, and their whereabouts are a mystery.
This change is by no means accidental, but a vivid portrayal of social progress and a powerful proof of the continuous improvement of the people's living standards.
In fact, the phenomenon of beggars is not just due to poverty. Among those beggars in rags and haggard faces, there are many "professional beggars" who are "willing to degenerate".
A beggar named "Lao Chen" once confessed that he was originally a hard-working farmer who was busy in the fields every day. However, as time went on, he got tired of the hard work, so he left his hometown and went to the bustling city streets, dressed as an old man, and began a life of begging for a living.
There was also a beggar named "Uncle Li", who had planned to do some small business in the city, but found that begging was easier to make money than doing business, so he completely abandoned his original plan and wandered the intersections all day long, begging from passers-by.
From their accounts, it is clear that laziness and speculation are the root causes that drive some people down the path of begging. According to relevant survey data, among the beggars on the streets of the mainland, only a small number of people who are really poor and need assistance, and most of them are "professional beggars" dressed as the elderly or disabled.
In order to arouse the sympathy of passers-by, they often choose to gather in crowded places and pose as miserable. Some even hire children to beg for a stronger visual effect.
A self-proclaimed "professional beggar" revealed that his daily income from begging can reach up to several hundred yuan, and his monthly income exceeds 10,000 yuan. To prevent being exposed, they also regularly change their clothes and begging locations.
It is truly outrageous that some of the large beggar gangs have been so sophisticated that they have evolved into a system with dedicated personnel for transporting and arranging accommodation, as well as cruel means of harming family members and robbing women!
With the advent of the Internet era, the begging community is also quietly changing. Some traditional street beggars have moved away from their old habits and have bravely turned to the emerging field of live streaming.
Ms. Li is one such example, and now she can easily earn 20,000 yuan or 30,000 yuan a month through major live broadcast platforms and live a carefree life.
The main driving force behind this shift is the widespread adoption of mobile payments and the gradual decline in foot traffic.
Back in the day, train stations, subway stations, and even under overpasses, there was always a crowd of ragged beggars, either with babies in their arms or pretending to be disabled, begging passers-by for alms.
An elderly man paced around a table with a broken bowl in hand, begging for passers-by, while a young mother hugged her emaciated baby tightly and looked hopefully in hopes of a chance at life.
At that time, it was not uncommon to drop a few coins to give alms. Nowadays, however, people rarely carry cash with them anymore, and donations to beggars have shifted from direct handouts to transfers.
However, when faced with an unfamiliar QR code payment request, most people are suspicious and afraid that they will be cheated out of their money. According to statistics, during the pandemic, only 12% of respondents were willing to scan a beggar's QR code, and a whopping 88% chose to refuse to pay.
The outbreak of the epidemic has undoubtedly brought unprecedented pressure on the survival of these marginalized groups. At the height of the pandemic, the city fell silent, with few pedestrians in sight on the streets, and some middle-aged beggars who relied on begging at subway stations used to go out late at night in search of livelihood, only to end up empty-handed.
The closure of public spaces has deprived them of many places they rely on for their livelihoods, only briefly during peak traffic periods, and police have stepped up patrols.
Reminiscing about those difficult years, we see that those beggars no longer walk barefoot as we are familiar with, but to find the thread of survival, endure the summer heat, shiver in the cold winter nights, they either huddle in the dim and desperate underground passages, or stroll through the flowery cross streets, their mouths are vaguely called, their eyes are confused, hoping to grasp the warm dawn of fate...... This desolate and desolate picture will be deeply engraved in the hearts of every witness and cannot be erased for a long time.
People can't help but be moved and sympathetic to their plight. However, we must face the reality that this is now a thing of the past, replaced by the advent of the Internet age, and the act of begging is returning to our attention in a more subtle way.
However, it is gratifying to note that with the accelerating pace of reform and opening up, this distressing phenomenon of beggars is gradually disappearing. Since the 90s of the 20 th century, the mainland has gradually formulated and implemented a series of effective policies for poverty relief and development, which have effectively promoted the rapid economic development of poor areas and significantly raised the income level of the vast number of poor people.
Taking Guangdong Province as an example, this place, known as the "factory of the world", attracts thousands of rural surplus laborers to look for job opportunities every year, creating countless jobs and development space for them.
A young man from rural Hubei confessed that when he first arrived in Guangdong, he was alone, and even the most basic living expenses could not be afforded. However, with his hard work, he quickly found a job in a garment factory, which, despite the meager salary, was enough to support his daily life and accumulate some savings.
After several years of unremitting efforts, his outstanding performance in the factory won the opportunity to participate in pre-job training and master more practical skills. Now that he has been promoted to team leader, he is not only self-sufficient, but also has the ability to provide financial support for his family, and his life has finally ushered in a turnaround.
Such opportunities are not limited to Guangdong, inland towns such as Chengdu and Chongqing have also gathered a large number of migrant workers, bringing them hope to go to the city and realize their dreams.
At the same time, the central and western regions are also actively developing industries with local characteristics to promote the vigorous development of the local employment market.
For example, in parts of the region from Central Asia to Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, a large number of new economic growth engines have been created through the development of tourism and processing and manufacturing industries, so that local people can achieve full employment at their doorsteps, thus greatly reducing the pressure on them to leave their hometowns to work.
In addition, the mainland government has also carefully formulated a valuable poverty alleviation strategy of "one household, one book", and has made every effort to comprehensively record and track the detailed information of all poor households to ensure that every poverty alleviation fund can be accurately invested in the most needy groups.
Under the strong impetus of these major favorable policies, according to authoritative data, in just eight years from 2012 to 2020, the total number of poor people in the mainland has dropped from a staggering 98.99 million to only 5.925 million, and a total of 93.07 million poor people have successfully lifted themselves out of poverty!
Such a brilliant achievement is undoubtedly the fruitful result of the unremitting efforts of the mainland's poverty alleviation policy, which is remarkable and worthy of our pride and pride!