I genuinely don’t know and would prefer getting perspectives from Lemmy rather than just reading generic facts. (Sorry if this seems lazy!)
I ask because China is communist, and sometimes I am afraid of some policies in China, like lack of free speech or free press. But I also think poverty and homelessness are a great evil and don’t know to what extent China has stopped this.
Yes. I’ve been there a few times and there are homeless people in the major cities. The property market is largely capitalistic. Maybe someone with more expertise can elaborate but there (or maybe were?) restrictions on working in some cities. Basically like “internal” immigration restrictions.
The policies may not be around anymore and they weren’t necessarily made with ill-intent. It was more of a “Beijing can’t handle anymore people until we build housing and water infrastructure.” But people obviously go where economic opportunity is no matter what governments say. So, there are people working in the informal economy illegally like “illegal immigrants” might be classified in the U.S. or Europe. It’s not like shanty towns or favelas, in my limited experience, but there are slums with, at best, makeshift shelters.
I’m not making excuses for another country but to me, it was like in the West but at a different scale and so a different situation. Some of the policies struck me as harsh at first but I don’t know what the fuck to do if a city’s infrastructure really can’t handle sudden mass migration. And they do build public housing, even if often in ways I wouldn’t. (For instance, demolishing what are to me historic neighborhoods to build giant apartment towers. But I also understand that what’s “historic” to an American is a laughably small period of time.)
I’m trying to be fair, here. Like in any country, there’s homelessness, mental illness, addiction, etc. but I don’t think the Chinese government is ignoring it any more than my own country. And I don’t know what it’s like to have zillions of years of history and over a billion people. Hopefully, someone who lives there can correct any mistakes I’ve made in this summary.
“Internal migration rules” - yes, the Hukou system is alive and well.
Though for some smaller cities the restrictions have been lifted, but for any city most non-Chinese have heard of legal migration to it won’t be easy.
But there is a lot of illegal internal migration, and those people are pretty much the bottom rung of Chinese society, working hard jobs long hours in poor conditions, and often sleeping 4, 5 to a small room.
Thank you for clarifying and adding detail. I’m basically just a tourist who had friends living/working/studying in China. But Sinophobia annoys me in a dozen ways.
It’s one of those situations where you have first-hand experience and other people have imaginary concepts based on propaganda. Assume everywhere is similar and be delighted when you find cultural differences or new food or whatever. Regular, sane people all want the same things, regardless of borders.
Yeah, the sinophobia is often atrocious. I lived and worked in China for a few years, so saw a lot of the good and some of the bad. People are people, and have the same needs and goals mostly, regardless of made up lines on a map.
I try to bring a reasoned, level line when I can… But I’m pretty done with trying to correct all the sinophobia nutters running off lies. It wears me out. Thankfully others do that so I can rest less guiltily.
Both the PRC as well as Anglophone media love playing into and orientalist stereotypes for their own reasons. Which doesn’t help.
China introduced the “Homes are for living, not for investment” act a while ago. It’s significantly reduced the rents. Buying a place and renting it out isn’t really profitable anymore.
So no, the property market isn’t capitalistic.