INTRO: segment number ten -- "Peasant Migration"

AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY CONTINUES DOWN THE PATH OF ECONOMIC REFORM AND LIBERALIZATION...IDEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING...IN SOME WAYS...IT'S BECOMING ITS OWN WORST ENEMY.   THE GROWING GAP BETWEEN THE RICH INDUSTRIAL EAST AND THE POOR AGRARIAN WEST IS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE HISTORY OF A PARTY THAT WAS BUILT ON THE REVOLUTIONARY PREMISE OF PROTECTING THE ECONOMIC RIGHTS OF PEASANTS.

 IN FINAL SEGMENT OF OUR SERIES POSTCARDS FROM CHINA...ERIC OLANDER REPORTS THAT THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE HAS GOTTEN SO BAD....THAT LARGER AND LARGER NUMBERS OF PEASANTS ARE PACKING UP AND HEADING TO THE CITIES IN THE DIM HOPE OF FINDING WORK. (:31)

 STORY:

WHILE THE COUNTRY'S SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PROVINCES ENJOY AN IMPROVING STANDARD OF LIVING....THE WESTERN AND INTERIOR REGIONS ARE STAGNATING.  AN OFFICIAL AT HUNAN'S INTERNATIONAL TRADE OFFICE...WHO INSISTED ON ANONYMITY....EXPLAINED IT TO ME THIS WAY.  FOR THE WHOLE OF THE COMMUNIST ERA EVEN TO THIS DAY....THE RESOURCE RICH WESTERN AND INTERIOR PROVINCES HAVE BEEN FORCED TO SELL THEIR RAW MATERIALS TO THE EASTERN MANUFACTURING CENTERS AT BELOW COST.  THEN AREAS SUCH AS GUANGDONG AND FUJIAN TURN AROUND AND SELL THE FINISHED GOODS AT MARKET VALUE....REPATRIATING NONE OF THE PROFITS TO THE RURAL SECTOR.  ULTIMATELY SERIOUS INEQUITIES DEVELOP WHERE MUCH OF THE WEST STRUGGLES SIMPLY TO SURVIVE WHILE THE EAST PROSPERS.

IT IS THIS IMBALANCE WHICH IS PROMPTING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEASANTS TO TAKE THE BIGGEST RISK OF THEIR LIVES...PACKING UP AND HEADING EAST TO THE WEALTHIER CITIES AND EVEN ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO THE UNITED STATES. (:47)

ONE CAN SEE THE MIGRATION HAPPENING ON BOATS...TRAINS AND BUSES.  AT THE CHANGSHA RAIL STATION FOR EXAMPLE I RAN INTO A GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THEIR TWENTIES WHO WERE HEADED FOR GUANGZHOU AND UNANIMOUSLY SAID THAT THERE IS NO WORK...NO MONEY AND BARELY ENOUGH TO EAT IN THEIR HOME PROVINCE OF SICHUAN.  MORE IMPORTANTLY... THEY EMPHASIZED A THEME I HEARD MANY TIMES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE....THERE IS NO HOPE.  ON A BOAT TRAVELING DOWN THE YANGTZE RIVER TO SHANGHAI....DOZENS OF PEOPLE ALL SAID THEY WERE RISKING EVERYTHING ON THE SLIM CHANCE THAT THEY COULD FIND A JOB IN THE CITY AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF A BETTER LIFE.  (1:21)

 BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY FINALLY GET TO CITIES SUCH AS BEIJING...SHANGHAI...GUANGZHOU AND SHENZHEN?  WELL...THE CHONG-WEN-MEN LABOR MARKET IN BEIJING PROVIDES AT LEAST PART OF THE ANSWER.  LOCATED ONLY TWO OR THREE BLOCKS FROM THE BEIJING RAIL STATION.... HUNDREDS IF NOT SOMETIMES THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LINE THE STREET IN THE DESPERATE HOPE THAT THEY WILL BE CHOSEN BY SOMEONE TO DO A DAYS WORK.  IF BY CHANCE A MAN IS LUCKY AND SELECTED BY A RESTAURATEUR....OR A CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN TO WORK FOR THE DAY....HE CAN EXPECT TO BE PAID BETWEEN EIGHT TO TEN YUAN...OR ABOUT ONE U-S DOLLAR...FOR FIFTEEN HOURS ON THE JOB.  FOR WOMEN IT'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.  THE WAGES ARE ABOUT THE SAME BUT THE JOBS AREN'T.  THEY ARE OFTEN HIRED AS DOMESTIC HELP FOR MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS FAMILIES...OR IN MANY CASES FORCED TO WORK IN SWEATSHOPS OR AS PROSTITUTES. (2:03)

 EVERY SINGLE PERSON I SPOKE WITH AT THE LABOR MARKET...BOTH MEN AND WOMEN...SAID THEY HADN'T WORKED IN MONTHS....SOME SAID IT HAD BEEN OVER A YEAR.  THEY HAD NO MONEY...ONLY THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS...AND HAD TO SCROUNGE FOR FOOD DAILY OFTEN GOING DAYS WITHOUT EATING.  THEY ALL SAID IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND WORK BECAUSE SO MANY PEASANTS HAVE FLOODED THE CITY...CREATING A SURPLUS IN THE LABOR MARKET.  ASKED IF THE SITUATION IN BEIJING IS SO BAD WHY THEY DON'T MOVE ON TO ANOTHER CITY OR SIMPLY GO HOME....THEY SAID THINGS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AREN'T ANY BETTER AND THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH  MONEY TO EVEN BUY A TRAIN TICKET.  AND THE FINAL QUESTION I ASKED EVERYONE WAS IF THEY HAD THE CHANCE TO DO IT OVER AGAIN....WOULD THEY COME TO THE CITY....THEY ALL EMPHATICALLY SAID NO. (2:42)

THE SAD REALITY IS THAT THE PLIGHT OF CHINA'S MIGRANT PEASANTS IS NOT UNIQUE...THE MEXICANS WHO TOIL IN CALIFORNIA'S FRUIT FIELDS...FILIPINO DOMESTIC WORKERS IN HONG KONG AND PALESTINIAN LABORERS IN MUCH OF THE MIDDLE EAST ALL DEMONSTRATE THE UNIVERSALITY OF LIVING AND WORKING IN MISERABLE CONDITIONS IN THE HOPE OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE..

 WITH A POSTCARD FROM CHINA...I'M ERIC OLANDER IN CHANGSHA. (3:01)

© BBC World Service 1993