Following a report in December 2013 by the Beijing News about poor migrants living in underground wells in the capital’s Chaoyang District because they could not afford housing there, local authorities sent teams to seal the well entrances with concrete. The story underscored the problems facing many migrants in China’s major cities, where real estate prices have soared in recent years, making basic living space unaffordable. In the following cartoon, posted by artist Kuang Biao (邝飚) to Sina Weibo, the pitiable denizen of an underground well shouts and raises his hands pleadingly as a combat boot seals the entrance to the well.
David Bandurski
CMP Director
