The real life of beggars: collective accommodation in cheap hotels earns 200 yuan a day.






Zhou Baolun and others are filled with bottles.


 


  Many beggars who come to Nanning to beg are concentrated in department stores and pedestrian streets with large traffic. Although they seem to be down and out, according to the reporter’s observation, some of them earn at least ten yuan a day, and the most can reach more than 200 yuan. How many people are cheating people’s sympathy behind this? In the past few days, the reporter has tracked several beggars in this area.


  Lens 1:


  Burn man arouses sympathy.


  Venue: Xingning Road, Xinhua to the crossing in front of the department store.


  Time: December 14th ~ 16th.


  For the first time, the tracking was dumped.


  At 5 o’clock in the afternoon on the 14th, a man was lying on a homemade wooden cart near Xingning Road at the intersection of Xingning, Xinhua. From time to time, he raised his enamel cylinder to passers-by. When the reporter took a closer look, he found that the man seemed to have been burned, and the palms of his upper limbs were all glued together. Only his thumb could move freely. Although the man’s appearance made many people avoid him, it was also easy to arouse sympathy. Many people threw change into his enamel jar and quickly dodged.


  About half an hour later, the man stood up, slowly moved to the front of Yufeng Commercial Building, then lay on the wooden cart and continued begging.


  Until about 6: 30 pm, the man finally got up again, put away the mat on the wooden cart, folded the wooden cart and stuffed it into a snakeskin bag. He picked up a backpack used as a pillow, picked up a snakeskin bag and strode to the bus stop at Chaoyang intersection in Xinhua.


  The reporter couldn’t help but be surprised by the man’s speed and quickly followed. A No.41 bus just stopped, and the man rushed up quickly. The reporter squeezed into the bus and saw him standing at the back door. The bus went all the way to Jiangnan, during which the man secretly looked at the reporter from time to time.


  The man didn’t get off until the terminal-Jiangnan Bus Terminal. The reporter continued to follow after getting off the bus, but the man stopped in front of a fast food restaurant in the station and looked back. The reporter quickly flashed behind the newsstand. About a minute later, the reporter poked his head out again and found that the man had disappeared in front of the fast food restaurant. The reporter searched everywhere, but failed.


  The second time, follow to the foothold.


  After the first failure to find out the whereabouts of the beggar, the reporter couldn’t help wondering: the man was so avoiding strangers that the situation behind begging was doubtful. The agility and vigilance he showed were totally different from the stupidity he showed when begging. At noon the next day, the reporter saw the man again at the underpass in front of the department store. This time, he took off his coat, and his upper body still showed many burn scars, lying on a cloth mat without a wooden cart. In front of the man, he also wrote in chalk "Asking for money to buy medicine to eat" and so on.


  It was not until 6: 30 pm that the man put on his coat, took up his backpack and went to the bus stop. The No.41 bus didn’t stop in front of him this time. He ran all the way with the bus and jumped into it. After getting off at Jiangnan Bus Terminal, he went straight to Yingkai Road on the side of the bus terminal. Along the way, he looked back at the reporter behind him from time to time and pretended to urinate at the side door of the passenger station, trying to get rid of the reporter. After being unsuccessful, he quickly walked across the street and entered a ramen restaurant.


  It was not until 8 o’clock in the evening that the man walked out of the ramen. Strangely, two elderly men followed. The reporter noticed that the two elderly men were also beggars at the bus stop near the department store for a long time. Three people walked all the way to chat, and turned left from Yingkai Road into Pengzhan Road, which is not yet open to traffic. After walking for a while, the man ran into the roadside grass again, and the reporter followed two elderly men into a roadside path. Because the path was too dark, two elderly men quickly disappeared. The reporter had to go back the same way, only to catch up with the burned man who flashed into the grass and walked all the way along Pengzhan Road. The reporter followed him and walked about 1 kilometer. The man walked into a village and turned in from a canteen in the village.


  The man lives in a small tile house next to the canteen. The reporter saw in front of the door that the lights in the house were very dim, and the corner of the house was filled with beer bottles and white wine bottles. One of the white-haired old men was sitting on a bed, counting a pile of change scattered on the ground. Soon, the burned man came to the canteen and bought three bottles of beer. The reporter asked where the three people came from, but none of them answered.


  The reporter learned from the local residents that it is Huang Mao Village, and the house rented by three people is 80 yuan/month rent.


  The third time, the beggar man confessed his life experience.


  After tracking down the burned man’s residence, the reporter continued to follow up and found that the lives of the three beggars were very regular: they got up at 6 o’clock every morning, and then went to the nearby Dashatian food market or bus stop to beg in the same way. When they see passers-by eating breakfast, they will beg for food from passers-by. Generally, brunch and lunch will not pay for themselves. By noon, three people took the bus and went to the vicinity of the department store to continue begging.


  After 6: 30 pm on the 16th, the reporter followed them to the "home" of these three people again. "You are journalists, right?" Before the reporter could speak, the burned man took the initiative to ask. The reporter identified himself and started a conversation with him.


  The man claimed to be Zhou Baolun, 36 years old, from Xuzhou, Jiangsu. When he was in his twenties, Zhou Baolun went to Heilongjiang, bought a minivan and started transportation. In 1994, when driving to Fuyuan Township, Mishan City, the fuel tank of a pickup truck caught fire. Although Zhou Baolun saved his life, he was burned in many places on his upper body and face.


  After Zhou Baolun was burned and disabled, he returned to his hometown of Xuzhou, and his wife also ran away. The civil affairs department subsidized tens of yuan a month, but this was not enough for his life, let alone raising his young daughter. So, he came to the northeast again, and at first he made a living by collecting junk. Looking at the income of only a few yuan a day, Zhou Baolun’s mood is even heavier, and he drinks every day to drown his sorrows. Once drunk lying on the street, he accidentally harvested dozens of dollars thrown by passers-by. From then on, Zhou Baolun stopped collecting junk. Every time he finished drinking, he lay down on the street and began to beg for a living.


  "I’m telling you this, and I hope you can write it truthfully." Zhou Baolun said that when he was begging in a northern province, some reporters interviewed him, but in the end he said that he was a local and had a villa in a city in the province.


  Zhou Baolun said that he has been begging for more than 10 years, and he has traveled all over the country except Tibet. "Go to the north in summer and go to the south in winter." He said that this is his first time to Nanning, about half a month. "Nanning is a good person, with an income of 30 to 40 yuan every day." As he spoke, he took out money from his pocket, all of which were fifty cents and one yuan, and counted it carefully.


  The two old people who lived with Zhou Baolun claimed to be from Pizhou, Jiangsu Province. One of them said that he had a quarrel with his daughter-in-law at home and ran out with his fellow villagers in a rage. They met Zhou Baolun while begging in Wuhan. As it’s cold in Wuhan now, three people took the train all the way to Nanning.


  Zhou Baolun said that in addition to buying some wine to drink, the rest of the money was sent home to study for her daughter. "My daughter is 12 years old. She was born in the year of the accident. Seeing me is like watching a monkey." He said that every time he went home, his daughter avoided him. As he spoke, tears streamed down his face. Zhou Baolun is not going to go home this Spring Festival. After it is cold in Nanning, he is going to Hainan, "it’s warm there".


  Lens 2:


  "Blind Band" sells arts for a living.


  Venue: in front of the department store


  Time: December 16th ~ 18th.


  The blind band has an agent


  At 8 o’clock on the evening of December 16th, in front of Nanning Department Store, Chaoyang Road, Nanning, five blind people sat in a row, and erhu, suona and lusheng all sang together, attracting many onlookers. There is a plastic sheet on the ground in front of the "Band", which reads "Blind people ask for help". The above information reflects that several people are from Henan, who have been blind since childhood and make a living by busking. There are four disabled cards on the plastic sheet, three of which were issued by shenqiu county, Henan Province, and the other by Qixian County, Henan Province.


  Five people played very hard and the music was good, and the good people passing by gave generously. The plastic bucket in front of them soon became full, and most passers-by gave 1 yuan face value banknotes. The reporter watched for more than an hour and found that there was a "short" middle-aged man staring at several blind people next to five people. At 10 o’clock in the evening, there were two middle-aged people next to the "short man". Several people were chatting while watching the blind people.


  At 10: 30 pm, pedestrians near the department store gradually became scarce. Two middle-aged people bid farewell to the "short man" and walked to the underground passage. The "short man" helped the blind people clean up their stalls, and then walked in front with half a bucket of banknotes, while the blind people dragged their clothes one by one and walked in a row. What is the relationship between "short" men and these blind people? With questions, the reporter followed them all the way.


  Stay in cheap hotels collectively.


  Xinhua Road-Xingning Road-Renmin Road-Nanjing Road, blind people walk very slowly. Later, they stopped at a snail powder shop on Nanjing Road. After eating, several people continued to walk to Wangyuan Hotel near Nanjing Zhonghua Road to stay.


  The reporter didn’t rush upstairs, just asked the hotel owner about some simple information and left at 11 o’clock in the evening.


  At 8 o’clock in the morning on the 17th, six people set out with musical instruments and buckets. They successively came to nearby trading places, water streets and other crowded places in the morning, set up stalls to play and sing. Citizens who pass by early in the morning also throw some small bills into the pail from time to time.


  At 8 o’clock in the evening, several people came to the front of the department store to perform arts. At 10: 30 in the evening, they were ready to pack their bags and go back. On the way back, they entered the snail powder shop and then returned to Wangyuan Hotel. After a few people went up for a while, the reporter saw that no one else followed, so he went straight to the third floor and knocked on the door. At first, they didn’t open the door, but the reporter insisted again and again and the door opened a crack. The reporter said that he wanted to know something, and there was no malice. The "short man" who opened the door let the reporter in.


  A very small room, with three beds in it, and a few people standing inside, almost no place to stand. Some hairy tickets were scattered on a bed, and several people were sorting around. After the reporter came in, they stopped. The reporter learned that this room only accepts 30 yuan every night. A blind man said with a smile, six of them are crowded together, and one person spends money in 5 yuan every night on average, which is a good deal. Just going to the toilet and taking a shower, you have to grope down to the second floor to solve it.


  Claiming to be folk artists before.


  The "short man" who used to help the blind do everything seldom talked when sitting at the door. He used a toothbrush handle to pick up instant noodles soaked in a plastic cup. After eating, he washed the plastic cup and made a pack of instant noodles for a blind man in camouflage. When he was ready, he asked a blind man for a toothbrush.


  The reporter asked them, didn’t you just eat snail powder? Why do you want to eat instant noodles? A blind man said with a smile that they were not used to rice noodles.


  Subsequently, the reporter learned that several people were from rural areas in shenqiu county or neighboring counties, and they knew each other before they became entertainers. When there was no cremation in the countryside before, their blind band would help with a funeral and earn a little money to support their families. After cremation, these blind people can’t work in the fields, and there are not many subsistence allowances in rural areas. In order to make ends meet, they have to organize themselves spontaneously and go to the city to earn money by performing arts. Because of the inconvenience of movement, they found a frank and honest "short man" in the village to help manage their lives, and everyone shared the money they earned.


  Generally, on weekends and festivals, their income is better, which can reach around 280 yuan at most, and sometimes they are only a few tens of dollars out of luck. An older beggar said that his wife was mentally ill and could not work, and his two daughters were still studying, so they could only live on the four or five hundred yuan he sent back every month. Several other people, some were born blind, some were acquired blind, and their families were relatively poor. Before, they had been performing in Beijing, but now they can’t set up stalls casually, so they have to run around. When winter is coming, they will come to the south, usually not more than a week in one place. When the weather in Nanning is cold, they will continue to go south. It’s almost the New Year, so I’ll go back to my hometown.


  The next night, the reporter came to the hotel again. The boss said that several people had checked out in the morning and went to Fangchenggang.


  Lens 3:


  The "dead husband" woman makes people pity.


  Venue: From the front of McDonald’s in the department store to the intersection of Renmin Chaoyang.


  Time: December 18th ~ 19th.


  Begging documents are readily available.


  At 6 o’clock in the afternoon on the 18th, the weather was cold, and a woman knelt motionless in front of the window of McDonald’s in the department store. The woman hung her head, her face was completely blocked by long hair, and a white cloth was wrapped around her head. There is a piece of paper in front of her, which says that she is a villager of Gaonan Group in Dahe Village, Jiuhe Town, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province. Her husband went to Nanning to do small business and died in a car accident. She went to Nanning to collect her husband’s ashes, but she had no money to go home and beg for charity from good people.


  In addition to this piece of paper, the woman also placed a marriage certificate, a cremation certificate, and a scene picture of her husband’s car accident. The truck in the picture was Gui C brand, and a man was lying on the ground in bloody pieces. The marriage certificate shows that the woman’s name is Liu Yajuan and her husband’s name is Li Jun. The certificate is stamped with the official seal of Jiuhe Town Government of Lijiang City. The cremation certificate is written with the words "Li Jun" and stamped with the official seal of Guangxi Civil Affairs Department, dated December 16, 2007.


  The woman is still kneeling beside a three-or four-year-old boy with a white cloth on her head. The little boy couldn’t resist his lively nature and kept turning around the woman. In the cold wind, the motionless women and lively boys aroused the sympathy of many passers-by. Some passers-by stopped to watch and threw money on paper. The reporter saw that three well-intentioned people threw 10 yuan money to the woman in succession.


  Familiar with the terrain of Youai Village


  At about 10: 30 p.m., the woman packed up the items placed on the ground, took the child, crossed the underground passage, and got on a No.32 bus at the bus stop opposite the department store. When the car drove to Likelong, Youai Road, the woman got off the bus, crossed the road obliquely and entered the third lane of Youai Road West.


  During the reporter’s follow-up, the woman was aware of it and looked back from time to time. After entering the alley, she bought some food in front of a small stall, and then led the child into one side of the alley. The woman was very familiar with the zigzag terrain in Youai Village, and finally the reporter failed to find her foothold. However, according to a resident of Youai Village, this short woman with a child has been in Youai Village for some time and should be rented in the village.


  A few words of children’s words "debunking" deception


  The terrain in Youai Village is complex, and the reporter can’t track the woman’s whereabouts. In order to uncover the truth about the woman, on December 19th, the reporter dialed the telephone number of Jiuhe Town Government in Lijiang City. A staff member of the town government office said that there was no "Dahe Village" in the jurisdiction of Jiuhe Town, and the address written by the woman was false.


  In order to further understand the truth, the reporter came to the department store again on the evening of the 19th. As a result, at the intersection of Chaoyang people not far away, she saw the woman kneeling on the side of the road again.


  "Where are you from? Where did your husband have an accident? " In the face of the reporter’s inquiry, the woman always said nothing. At this time, a female citizen asked the little boy, "Is that your father in the photo?" "No." The little boy said. The female citizen then asked, "Where is your father?" "Dad is at home."


  At this time, the woman who had been kneeling on the side of the road tugged at the little boy’s clothes, and the onlookers gave a burst of laughter. In the laughter, the woman quickly packed up the items on the ground and left the scene.


  Lens 4:


  The word "killed" is a cover.


  Location: Near Nanning Department Store


  Time: December 19th ~ 22nd.


  The reporter found four or five beggars near the department store. These beggars are different from other beggars in that they are well dressed. After choosing a begging place, they write on the ground with chalk "I am in urgent need of × yuan to eat" (usually 3 yuan and 5 yuan, not more than 10 yuan), and then crouch behind.


  This kind of beggars are not as eye-catching as women with physical disabilities or "dead husbands", but the reporter saw that there are still passers-by throwing money at these people from time to time.


  At 6 o’clock in the afternoon on December 19th, the reporter found a woman in blue in front of Jin Chaoyang Building on Chaoyang Road. The woman was dressed in fashion, and her straight hair blocked her face. She squatted on the side of the road, with the words "4 yuan in distress" written in front of her. After observing for half an hour, the reporter found that three passers-by had thrown money at the woman, the most of which was 5 yuan. After the woman put the money in her pocket, she didn’t mean to leave at all.


  The reporter came forward to ask, but the woman did not answer where she came from and when she came to Nanning. There were more people onlookers, and the woman seemed a little anxious. A kind-hearted citizen asked: "What difficulties did you encounter? Say it, we will help you. " The woman said: "I didn’t encounter any difficulties. I wrote’ killed’ just to make it easy to ask for money."


  Say that finish, the woman went straight to the overpass and turned into the McDonald’s upstairs in Jin Chaoyang. Later, in front of the department store, the reporter saw two women, each holding a child, with the words "7 yuan in distress for dinner" written in front of them. Later, the reporter learned that the two women with children and the former woman in blue all claimed to be from Kaitang Township, Kaili City, Guizhou Province. According to other domestic media reports, the local area is really poor, some people go out to beg during the slack season, and even some children follow them when they are on holiday.


  Reminder:


  You need to ask more questions when offering love.


  The reporter observed that among more than a dozen beggars who have been active in department stores for a long time, some of them are healthy except those with physical disabilities. These people often have some unusual "experiences", and the more tragic they are, the more sympathetic they will be. These people with "tragic experiences" often put a variety of documents. In fact, as long as the alms givers pay more attention, they can find flaws. Beggars who don’t provide relevant certificates often show clues when asked by reporters. But most of the alms givers leave in a hurry after dropping their money.


  A citizen who threw 10 yuan money to a "dead husband" woman said that he thought it was true when he saw the woman’s experience was pitiful and there were so many documents, but he didn’t expect to be fooled in the end. The citizen who took out the money said that some beggars looked dirty and dared not go close to ask, and once they went forward to ask, they would immediately attract people to watch, which is why they dared not ask.


  According to the reporter’s observation in the past few days, the way to identify these people is very simple. As long as you ask a few more questions, they will often show their clues. Good citizens should pay attention not to let their kindness be used by others, which encourages these people to get something for nothing. Moreover, able-bodied people can go to the help station to get help if they really have difficulties. (Reporter Zhao Chao Liu Governance Text/Figure)


News link:


A 12-year-old girl begged in the cold wind late at night to sleep on a bus for two years.


The best beggar in history: begging in English during the day and blogging at night (Figure)


A 28-year-old woman pretends to be a middle school student and kneels on the street begging.


Woman gives up serious illness, husband donates kidney to save son, begging along the street to raise money.


Seven-year-old boy in Anhui is rented by his parents as a beggar, and the monthly rent is 500 yuan.

Editor: Li Xingcun