Beggars in China

The Chicago Tribune tells the story of a beggar in Shanghai. By no means is his story confined to big cities like Shanghai. Many disabled and perfectly healthy people ply the streets of Xiamen, begging for food and money.

Many of them don’t need to beg. We have scam artists who pretend to be disabled (I have photographic proof!), and we have those who are just strolling along the street and decide to approach foreigners for money as they see them (happens to Neil and I on a regular basis).

There are begging gangs in Xiamen, too, and lots use children to spark sympathy.

We can never tell who’s for real (except the fat ladies who swear they’re starving to death), and it’s usually better to not give at all. Makes my karma go all musty.