Rat tribe
Rat tribe(Chinese:Chuột tộc;pinyin:shǔzú) is aneologismused to describelow incomemigrant workerswho live inunderground accommodationswithinChinesecities.[1]As 2015, official estimates are of 281,000 people living inBeijing's underground, although estimates of up to one million have also been widely reported.[2][3]
Background
[edit]Housing policy dating back to the early stages of theCold Warinstigated the incorporation of basementair raid sheltersinto newly built residential buildings. Encouraged byDeng Xiaoping'seconomic reforms,migrant workers began emigrating from rural areas to more urban ones, lured by the benefits of higher salaries and standards of living. To accommodate the population surge, theChinese governmentpermitted the use of these shelters as residences. Without a validresidential permitmany migrants were unable to afford the cost of purchasing their own home on arrival and instead turned towards these low cost rooms.[4]
In late 2010, the term "Chuột tộc" began being used to describe underground dwellers in the Chinese press. Shortly after, theMinistry of Housing and Urban-Rural Developmentformally banned residential rentals of basements and air raid shelters due to safety concerns. By early 2015, state media had reported that 120,000 people had been evicted from underground residences.[5]
Accommodation
[edit]While still illegal, many migrant workers choose to live in these centrally located conditions to avoid a longer commute to their workplace.[6]According to a 2013 study, the median area for an underground room in Beijing was 9.75 square metres (104.9 sq ft) and the average price was 436yuanper month.[4]Hygiene conditions in these residences are generally poor, with shared communal facilities.[7][8]In one instance, people across 80 rooms had access to a single toilet.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Li, Raymond (8 February 2011)."Cramped, cold and underground - the meagre existence of Beijing's 'rat tribe'".South China Morning Post.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Connor, Neil; Tan, Wing (15 February 2014)."'Rat tribe' flees high costs and dwells underground ".Shanghai Daily.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Johnson, Ian (24 January 2015)."The Rat Tribe of Beijing".Al Jazeera America.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^abKim, Annette M. (October 2014)."Hidden City"(PDF).Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Davidson, Nicole (11 February 2015)."Thousands of Beijing's 'rat tribe' underground residents evicted".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Hunt, Katie (18 February 2015)."Meet the 'rat tribe' living in Beijing's underground city".CNN News.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Dillon, Christopher (2013).Landed China.Hong Kong: Dillon Communications. p. 173.ISBN9789881714749.
- ^Kosuga, Tomo."Ant and Rat Tribes in Beijing".VICE.Retrieved22 February2015.
- ^Zhao, Xibin (10 November 2010)."Kinh thành" chuột tộc "Sống nhờ tiểu khu tầng hầm ngầm 80 gian phòng chỉ 1 WC"(in Chinese).Xinhua.Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2011.Retrieved22 February2015.
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