Unbelievable Scene: A Public Toilet Packed With Homeless in Shenzhen

Unbelievable scene. A public toilet packed with homeless in Shenzhen. In a video posted by blogger Li Boqing, a public toilet in Shenzhen, brightly lit at one o'clock in the morning, was filled with homeless people. Among them were migrant workers who had just arrived in the big city, with nowhere to stay and no place to call home. More were migrant workers who had left their hometowns and wandered around, having no choice but to spend one night here in order to save on accommodation fees. A cool mat, a few worn-out clothes, and a curled book to kill time were all their belongings. After reading it, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Who would have thought that under such a bright and beautiful metropolis, there are so many ordinary people struggling and drifting? Have you heard of Maju Bridge? It is located in the southeast corner of Beijing, and Langfang is further out, on the edge of the city. Every morning at four or five o'clock, countless day workers come from all directions, gathering here to look for work opportunities for the next day. At six o'clock, the agency finalizes the personnel list and collects ID cards. When the time comes, temporary workers are transported by bus to various factories. Since the end of last year, there have been many more workers in Majuqiao. Wages have dropped accordingly, and competition has become even more intense. Workers over 50 years old are often picked out and rejected for the hardest and most tiring jobs. Yet, the ones who have been stationed in Majuqiao the longest are precisely those uncles and grandmothers in their 50s and 60s. At night, they live in the nearby urban village, where a damp and simple bed costs just 20 yuan a night. I can't help but think of a photo I saw some time ago. When the Internet Celebrity Frog on the street took off the hood, it turned out to be an old woman with gray hair and a tired face. In this world, some people live in high-rise buildings, while others struggle in deep ditches. Some elderly people receive generous pensions and travel around, living a carefree life in their old age. Some elderly people are still busy making a living, doing all kinds of embarrassing and hard work. In this bizarre world, not everyone has the opportunity to spend their old age in a decent way. Some time ago, a hot post on the social platform, The Unemployed Occupy Starbucks, caused heated discussions. The blogger found that Starbucks on Monday was almost entirely occupied by unemployed middle-aged men and women. Because they couldn't find a job for the time being and didn't want to worry their families, they came here to pretend to go to work. Many people brought their own computers and didn't even order a cup of coffee, just to be able to charge for free and use the air conditioning. The petty bourgeoisie Starbucks has become the best shelter for unemployed middle-aged people. Li Hai, 30 years old, from Beijing, originally worked in an internet company. But in April this year, the entire department was laid off because the company reduced operations. He has just entered middle age, with elderly parents and young children to take care of, and he also has mortgages and car loans. Because he doesn't want to pass this pressure on to his family, he chooses to go to a coffee shop to pretend to work, constantly revising and submitting resumes every day. So, stop laughing at those middle-aged people who pretend to work in Starbucks. If possible, who doesn't want to chat and laugh in a spacious office? Swallowing all the pain alone and pretending to go to work every day is just the last stubbornness of middle-aged people. I accidentally came across a live broadcast before. A grandfather in his 70s had learned to sell fruits online. In order to increase his popularity, he worked hard to learn dancing, holding fruits while dancing in the live broadcast room. But during the broadcast, he was abused by netizens. Some said, The dance is ugly, old and ugly, while others mocked, It is disrespectful to come out and perform for money. Facing the ridicule, the grandfather cried sadly. I couldn't help but think of Uncle Wu, who tried to sell women's shoes but failed twice. To repay his debts, he had no choice but to win by surprise. Every day, the 40-year-old man would run wildly in short videos wearing high heels. Don't laugh at anyone who is struggling to live or mock their clumsy efforts. You never know what kind of burdens they are carrying on their shoulders. Life's huge waves will never give you a warning. The self-media influencer Old Wang, who has to be Buddhist, once shared his experience of switching to online car hailing. A top student majoring in finance from a university in Beijing, he had been a senior executive at a well-known bank before founding his own private equity firm. But as the financial market changed rapidly, Lao Wang's company went bankrupt, leaving him with heavy debts. He once thought that as a former senior executive, finding another job would be easy. But reality was harsh. No company was willing to hire him. To support his family, Lao Wang became an online ride hailing driver, changing overnight from Mr. Wang to Master Wang. Some sneered. Aren't you afraid of losing face? How embarrassing it would be to drive Didi and run into acquaintances, former subordinates or clients. But Lao Wang took it openly. As a middle-aged man with old parents and young children, I don't have time to be sentimental. If you find that you can't survive in one industry, you have to immediately turn the car around and keep going. Life is like rowing a boat. When you're young, you can stop whenever you want, without thinking too much. But once you reach middle age, there are passengers on board and you can no longer act at will. In the adult world, making a living is always the big thing, and saving face is the small thing. Have you noticed that more and more young people have recently taken to the streets, setting up various stalls? Among them are college students, exquisite urban beauties making money part-time after work, and workers who have changed careers, choosing to use stalls as a way to transition and survive. The income from stalls is very unstable, and they often have to face various emergencies. Some time ago, a popular frog mascot was intercepted and forced to shed its frog skin. He was severely reprimanded in front of everyone. What do you look like here every day? I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Throwing away the halo of higher education and all sense of face, what are these young people really doing? They just want to work hard and make more money. When we were young, we always thought that face was everything and looked down on the embarrassed middle-aged people. It was not until we grew up that we realized, when you have someone you want to protect, all the cold eyes and gossip from the world become insignificant. A father who worked overtime as a construction worker came home, and his two daughters rushed toward him immediately, happily pulling him to tell stories about their school day. They proudly praised their father's profession, their eyes shining with pride as they looked at him. Though the father was covered in dust and exhaustion, his eyes were full of happiness. The daughter, seeing her father who had been working away from home for so long, took him to eat hot pot for the first time. The father was so overjoyed he kept recording videos, laughing and dancing like a child, as if telling the whole world, Look, this is the meal my daughter treated me to. A 23-year-old son, after saving for nine years, finally took his father, who had lived his whole life in the mountains, on a plane for the first time. The father, excited beyond words, took pictures left and right with his mobile phone, and finally, tears welled up in his eyes. I think, maybe this is the true meaning behind putting aside our pride and working hard to make money, to protect our family, to eat the food we want to eat, to see the scenery we dream of, and to live the life we long for. Although sometimes the way we make money may not look elegant, there are always warm and touching moments that remind us life is worth living. Wicklin once said, Life is the sea, and money is the boatman. Without the boatman, it is difficult to survive. Money cannot make the devil work, but it is enough to make the years gentle. Maybe your way of making money isn't graceful, and your steps aren't elegant enough, but the way you try your best for your family is truly beautiful. When the storms pass, the clouds will part, and the moonlight will shine. China's economy continues to decline, and the employment and living conditions of young people are alarming. Recently, it was reported online that many large companies in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, have been unable to pay wages for half a year, and even state-owned enterprises are laying off employees and cutting salaries. Many young vagrants sleep on the roadside and under bridges. There is a wave of crying about unemployment on mainland social media. Ex-account Wu Wangwudi released multiple videos on December 1, stating that in the last month of 2024, the eve of the fall of the Communist Party of China, the collapse of China's economy is unimaginable, and the people are suffering. Workers are exhausted and crying, the unemployed sleep on the streets, young people scavenge for garbage, iron rice bowl units are laying off employees, and civil servants are facing salary cuts. In addition, companies are running away, shops are closing, hospitals can't pay wages, banks are unable to disperse money, people are protesting on rooftops, teachers are breaking down, students are jumping off buildings, canteens are in chaos, hospitals are full of pneumonia cases, and the streets are plagued with violence. According to the video, a young woman said that the current situation in Guangzhou might be unbelievable to those hearing it. Many large companies and certain groups haven't paid wages for half a year. Many companies, including state-owned enterprises, are laying off employees and cutting wages, and most small companies are on the verge of bankruptcy. Even the once-envied internet sector is laying off employees, with thousands of people dismissed at a time. I am one of them. Even highly educated talents from 985 and 211 universities cannot escape the fate of unemployment, let alone ordinary people like us, the woman said, frustrated. She noted that her classmates either faced staff reductions or wage cuts, and some even stopped receiving wages altogether, leading to more than half a year of unemployment. Many luxurious office buildings are also empty, with some closed down entirely. Those who moved out have moved out. Many people sit in Starbucks and McDonald's, pretending to work, as the future remains full of uncertainties. A video shows that under a bridge tunnel in Guangdong, many homeless young people are sleeping. There are also young people sleeping on the roadside with quilts. A young woman placed a small basin in front of her, seemingly begging for food. It is heartbreaking to watch. Another video shows that in the central area of Xi'an High-Tech Development Zone in Shanxi Province, there are almost no pedestrians on the streets, and nearly all the shops are closed. A woman sighed. This was once the most prosperous street, and almost every shop is now shut down. Iron locks hang on the doors one after another, with no trace of the past glory. It's terrifying. The street shown in another man's video also had most of its shops closed. He commented that opening a physical store this year is too difficult, especially a restaurant. The investment is in the hundreds of thousands or millions, and many plan to earn money to marry off their sons. In the current environment, it's a blessing if your wife doesn't leave you. There is a crying wave of unemployment on Chinese social media platforms. Radio Free Asia reported that on social platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu in mainland China, many users shared their experiences. Some cried about the hardships of life, some complained about workplace injustice, and some expressed helplessness and anger. This year, there are 11.7 million college graduates in China. According to many people, the actual employment rate of college students this year is about 50%, which is lower than last year. Many companies have started laying off older employees. China's top technology companies, Alibaba and Tencent, carried out large-scale layoffs in 2024. Alibaba laid off 14,369 people in the first quarter and another 6,729 in the second quarter. The total number of layoffs since the beginning of the year has exceeded 20,000. Tencent has been laying off employees since 2022 and has reduced its workforce by about 10% by 2024. Kai Shenkun, a senior financial commentator, told Radio Free Asia that China's current unemployment problem has not yet reached its worst point. I think the unemployment problem will become more and more serious. Now, on platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu, many people are crying and complaining. Of course, some are trying to gain traffic, but a large number of people are genuinely reflecting the current situation. This is a basic reflection of China's unemployment situation. Kai Shenkun believes that massive unemployment not only reflects the current plight of China's labor market, but also reveals society's concern and worry about unemployment. He said that now is not the time for the government to invest money to stimulate the economy and save enterprises. Enterprises are unwilling to invest now and there are no better investment channels. How can private enterprises talk about development? China's aviation industry faces wage arrears and disguised layoffs. Employees struggle to make a living. Recently, China Xingfu Airlines has long been in arrears of wages, with pilots relying on food delivery to make a living attracting attention. Industry insiders revealed that the Sino-US trade war and three years of epidemic lockdowns have hit China's aviation industry hard, and the international route business has not improved so far. Recently, the Chinese foreign ministry announced the expansion of the visa-free policy, but it has not been effective. Xi'an's local aviation company Xingfu Airlines was recently exposed for having long-term arrears in wages and social security, attracting public attention. The company's pilots revealed that their wages had been in arrears for three years, forcing many employees to make a living by delivering food, driving for Didi, or setting up stalls. One pilot said he has been delivering food for a year and a half. An Air China employee using the pseudonym Chen Fan revealed that the Sino-US trade war and three years of epidemic lockdowns hit China's aviation transportation industry hard. Even after easing epidemic prevention measures, international route business has yet to improve. The losses of China's three major airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines are covered by the government. The fourth largest airline, HNA, has laid off employees in disguise, forcing many to resign. Air China employee Chen Fan, pseudonym, no matter the size of the airline, all are in a loss-making state. Many airlines still cannot pay wages, but this has not been reported. Airline employees are having a very difficult time. They don't want to compensate for layoffs. Instead, they use particularly bad methods to find faults and exclude people, forcing them to leave voluntarily. Chen Fan also mentioned that the CCP spreads xenophobia and diverts attention to maintain regime stability. This year, many Japanese and Americans were attacked in China, including the unfortunate death of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen, which has made foreigners feel resentful. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced an expansion of the visa-free policy, it has not been effective. Air China employee, pseudonym, international passenger transport is basically at about 12% of its level before the trade war and the epidemic. Visa exemptions have been relaxed for many countries, but no one is willing to come. This is because the trade war began, and the international community cannot accept what happened during the epidemic. They all think it is unreasonable. The mainland is quite scary. Mr. Hua, an employee of a Chinese airline, advised young people not to choose flight attendant majors. At the end of October this year, more than 5,000 people participated in interviews at the headquarters of China Eastern Airlines, but only around 300 were recruited, resulting in an extremely low admission rate. Mr. Hua, an employee of a Chinese airline, there are more than 500 colleges and universities across the country offering flight attendant majors, including aviation services, with more than 180,000 graduates each year. The problem is that the entire civil aviation system only needs at most 10,000 people annually, and about 7,000 people at least. Civil aviation has been losing so much money. Who knows if it will collapse? In fact, all companies have tightened their manpower. To learn more, visit www.chinaairlines.com