The move has sparked criticism and widespread anger from intellectuals, students and journalists, who say the government is unfairly targeting a vulnerable underclass. Most tenants living in such homes on the outskirts of the city are factory workers, construction labourers, delivery people, drivers, cleaners, or hairdressers who come from poorer parts of China
Photographer Nicolas Asfouri visited a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing where the narrow alleyways were crammed with men cooking on outdoor stoves, women hanging clothes to dry, and young children playing games.
He returned later to find the residents gone and the doors to their homes sealed by the authorities.
By Nicolas Asfouri / AFP / Getty Images
Zhang Zhanrong stands in a kitchen shared with neighbours as she cooks dinner for her family in a migrant village on the outskirts of Beijing
Migrants stand outside their rooms on a crowded street
A family sits and plays in the busy street
Men try to build a makeshift shower outside their rooms
A meal is served
A phone call interrupts Liu Huiqing’s meal
Men do the washing at a shared sink
A woman walks from her room to cook at an outdoor kitchen
Women wash and dry clothes in the crowded streets
Passers-by pause to chat
A couple enjoy dinner outside
