In August 2011, Chinese media reported that the city of Beijing had decided to close 20 schools for the children of migrant workers. The news sparked outrage from many Chinese, and drew more attention to the difficulties facing migrant workers and their children in China’s growing cities, where they labor for years without being accepted as city residents and receiving public benefits like access to education and healthcare. In this cartoon, posted by the Kunming-based studio Yuan Jiao Man’s Space (圆觉漫时空) to QQ.com, housed birds (city residents with rights) huddle inside their houses in the branches. Meanwhile, homeless and exposed chicks (the sons and daughters of migrants) weep.
David Bandurski
CMP Director
