10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS
10:00:00 Xiao Cun at sunrise: Natsot
woman pounding clothes, man brushing teeth, peasants fighting...people walking through main street, smoking brick kiln etc The village of Xiao Cun, tucked away in the rural heartland of China. Fifty families live here; most, like the village, are surnamed Xiao.
Lau Xiao walks towards field Old Mr Xiao’s health is declining after a long illness last year. He finds it harder and harder to look after the fields.
Mr Xiao often wonders who’ll take over his fields when he can’t go on any longer. His son has gone away; joining a massive flow of young people to the cities.
01:02 Old Mr Xiao: My view is it’s better to be in the city. It’s no good in the countryside. You can only just manage to keep your belly full. It’s very hard.
Already one hundred million peasants have left the land seeking a new life in the cities.
An industrial revolution is transforming Chinese society. This movement is on such a scale, that it now threatens the stability of the country.
Beijing Natsot big city noises
Every other day, old Mr Xiao’s son, Xiao Liangyu takes his makeshift cart on a regular route through the outskirts of Beijing.
Two years ago, he worked on his father’s rice fields in Anhul.
Now he collects rubbish for recycling.
Liangyu: It was hard being a peasant - particularly in the summer So much sweat rolls down your eyes you can hardly see anything. It’s a very, very tiring job.
02:24 Liangyu Hello, master.
Man in shop Come in, come in.
Liangyu Will you sell this to me?
Man in shop Yes.
Man in shop Ten kilos
Liangyu Ten kilograms. Can I pay you 6 yuan, okay?
Man in shop Okay good.
Liangyu Master, may I take it now?
Man in shop Yes, take it.
Liangyu Good, thank you. Bye! If you have any more waste, keep it for me.
03:05 Waste being weighed at rubbish dump Natsot
At the collection point he sells his load to the recyclers, making a profit of 50%.
Each gram of rubbish, the waste from a consumer society, he can still barely afford to live in, brings him closer to his dream; of becoming a chauffeur tot he new rich and sending his son through university.
Liangyu cycles away The city is unwelcoming and far from home, but here he earns in a month what he used to make in a year, and for now life is good.
03:41 Migrant shots The Xiao’s live in a ghetto occupied by other people from their province.
Around Beijing there are 25 such ghettos, each housing outsiders from a different part of the country. They are known as China’s floating population; 3 million of them make their home here; one quarter of Beijing’s population.
The ghettos are a focus for local resentment and fear. Born and bred Beijing workers blame the outsiders for stealing their jobs and for the city’s rising crime rates.
Beijing resident They’re fierce. A while ago my car was in their way. They smashed the window! Damn them. Sometimes a whole group will beat you, then run away. Fuck!
Interpreter’s question I heard some people have guns here?
Beijing resident Oh, all of them have guns, without exception.
Interpreter’s question What about drugs?
Beijing resident Oh, you bet - not only smoking, but addictive drugs.
04:51 South West Beijing To combat the problem, the local government declared war on the ghettos, even ordering the demolition of some quarters - like this one in the city’s south west.
Tension over the ghettos has reached such heights they are now virtually no-go areas for foreign journalist. Even this innocent interview with a recent arrival from Zhejiang rapidly turns nasty.
Recent arrival from Zhejiang Beijing is the best place. We all Know it’s the capital. We just love it.
We were told we had no right to film here, this man attempting to drag ABC’s interpreter to the police...
NATSOT .. shouting
05:33 Wang Shan, old style Maoist, author, commentator Wang Shan: In China, the reform and opening up has come to a crucial stage, whether it succeeds or not, largely rests on how well we control migrants coming to the cities.
Wang Shan is an old style Maoist. He has the ear of those in the Chinese leadership wanting to turn the clock back on reform. He says the peasants area powder keg and warns that they’ve brought down the Chinese governments before.
Wang Shan The working class has been pushed to the market. If peasants are allowed to come to the city, the workers are under attack from two sides, on the one hand they lose their privileges, on the other hand they face competition from peasants. So the working class is becoming rather unstable. This is China’s biggest problem and is very dangerous.
06:32 Official statistics paint a grim picture of China’ surplus labour supply. 35 million workers are currently jobless. And another 130 million peasants could be forced off the land as agriculture restructures.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi. Ministry of Labour For China, migrant workers is a huge issue which is involved with not only economic, development but also social stability. China has an enormous population and if we can solve the problem of urbanisation the whole world would benefit.
V/oThe prize winning solution, according to the Labour Ministry’s Professor Xia Ji Zhi is controlling the number of peasants leaving the countryside, a plan that could leave them frustrated and angry.
Professor Xia Ji Zhi The policy should allow them to come tot he cities, but they have come in an orderly fashion. We cannot let them do whatever they like. I mentioned the water .. we cannot turn off the tap completely all the time. There’d be no water at all. On the other hand, we cannot let it run freely and cause a flood.
07:58 NATSOT.. train noises, travelling
The tide at Spring festival time.
It’s the time of year that the human flow reverses, from skyscraper to field.
For many the train is still the cheapest and most popular form of transport, a once a year journey for families now scattered all over the country.
During the Spring Festival season, China’s trains carry more than 143 million passengers three and a half million people a day.
08:41 People coming off trains, buses winding through hills Natsot
For young Mr Xiao and his family, it’s been two years since they’ve seen home. After 21 hours of travel, the journey’s almost over. They know the village eagerly awaits their return.
09:04 They walk past the haystacks Mum: You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t come back.
Xiao Liangyu: Yes, I came back home. Why not? I’m home.
Mum takes bags In the city, Xiao is an outsider, in his home village he’s given a hero’s welcome.
Natsot of greetings
09:30 Dawn shots The village wakes on a wintry Sunday morning. There’s no rest for farmers.
Chicken in the basket Natsot: washing chicken
Chopping etc Young Mr Xiao’s sister Yu Fang, spends long days caring for her child and for the family.
Unlike her brothers, she never went to school. But having seen what’s to gain from city life, she too is desperate to leave.
10:08 Yu Fang: I want to work in the city, but my brother won’t take me. He says I ought not leave my family. I think the city is better than the country. it is so exhausting here.
But her dream of a new life in the cities, may be thwarted by a government keen to re-establish control.
Wang Shan In this society for a long time to come I’m afraid some people will have to lose out. So controlling migrants coming to the cities is a way of sacrifice. Whether this method will be accepted by the people of the whole nation, I don’t know.
Natsot: sound of loom in poor house
10:50 Above the doorway, a Chinese character proclaims the arrival of happiness. But the Sun household has little cause to be happy. No one has gone out to make a fortune. Untouched by the wealth of returnees, they can’t make ends meet by relying on farming. So straw is woven into baskets to supplement the farm income.
Poor Family: Man Of course we’re not satisfied with the government. The burden increases one year after another. How can we possibly be satisfied?
Woman If you know people, you get business done. If you don’t know people, you cannot. We went to the production team and township government, but they just ignored us. No-one would listen. Unless you know people, you can’t get anywhere.
11:43 The Sun’s daughter has been retarded since birth. Now she’s thirty, spends each day of her life sitting in the same place, twisting hay into string... earning the family a few cents of extra income.
What’s the use of being angry? Look at my girl, she’s unable to work. We’ve had no help at all from them... You can’t make money. You rely on your family. It’s no good.
12:11 Wedding Natsot...Firecrackers
At one end of the village, firecrackers celebrate a new match...the nervous bridegroom is a farmer... his sullen bride has already been out to work in the city.
They won’t stay in Xiao Cun for long.
Shots of children playing And when these children grow up; they too are bound to leave.
Xiao’s at dinner At the other end of the village, The Xiao’s also celebrate; a brief homecoming and a son’s success in breaking new ground.
Young Xiao’s success will encourage still more from his village to leave the land.
He’s part of a tide flowing out of the countryside, a tide that now seems unstoppable.
Sunset The flood gates have opened by the leadership. Now it must be control or face the consequences.
13:26 ENDS