Dec 2
Beggars
This entry is not for the squeamish…
One side of China that requires a tolerance of poverty, suffering, etc. is witnessing the pitiful beggars that inhabit the city, especially in Hua Qiang Bei. Where do these poor folk come from? I don’t know but I’ve heard similar stories from different people that will make your skin crawl: Some of the beggars, not all of course, are forced to beg by gangsters who have have bought them at a young age or have in some other ways coerced them to beg. The most disgusting part of the story, which I’ve heard more than once, is that they are often deliberately maimed. These pitiful maimed beggars are a steady stream of income, you see. Is this true?? Where do these gangsters come from? Are they ever captured and prosecuted? How could anyone be so low to do such a thing? And we think things are rough in the US. A begger who has no fingers is a fairly common sight, or missing an arm and their fingers on another arm, or a leg. Every so often, you can see something more horribly unusual: A man with nothing but skin where his eyes should be playing a Chinese musical instrument, a begger with at least 1/4th of his skull missing wandering between traffic with a small collection bowl, or…well, that’s enough.
(above) A common beggar in Hua Qiang Bei
(above) This guy is doing something to make money. Maybe his condition is due to mercury poisoning? He seems to be as positive as he can.
Ever wonder where the word “kowtow” came from? Here’s the definition:
kow ·tow [kou-tou, -tou, koh-]
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference. |
| 2. | to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., esp. in former Chinese custom. |
–noun
| 3. | the act of kowtowing. |
[Origin: 1795–1805; < China kòutóu lit., knock (one's) head]
Every weekend at the base of the stairs leading from the subway to the street along Hua Qiang Bei is a woman or girl (I can’t tell because I’ve never seen her face) who sits with her legs splayed out to either side, leaning forward with her chest to the ground and repeatedly bouncing her head just within a few centimeters of the ground. She does this for hours on end. This is a beggar kowtowing to the massive crowd bound for Hua Qiang Bei.
Here’s a movie (3 meg) from the crowded streets around Hua Qiang Bei. There are no shots of beggars, except a short one from the back side. In the last clip (starting at the middle of the entire movie), listen closely for the sweet tones of the Chinese violin, the “erhu”, and the eyeless artist playing on the right handside:
