China is demolishing villages and forcing people into bigger ones
The suffering of millions far outweighs any benefits
IN THE PAST 30 years tens of millions of Chinese farmers have moved to cities to work. While these have boomed, villages have hollowed out. Often the elderly share them with the children left in their care. Houses lie empty. With too few pupils, many rural schools have closed, forcing children to trek long distances daily or attend often grim state-run boarding schools.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Mass destruction”
Leaders October 3rd 2020
From the October 3rd 2020 edition
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