In China, Vast Chasm Between the Rich and the Rest

Resentment is building online and in daily interactions among Chinese over rising income inequality, which is particularly pronounced between urban and rural communities. Sim Chi Yin explores the divisions with photographs of young graduate student who cannot find good jobs; retired laborers about to be evicted from small homes to make way for skyscrapers; street cleaners outside luxury stores imported from the West; and scavengers searching through trash piles for clothing, cardboard or shoes that might be resold. The photographer finds the rich are eager to pose, flaunting their possessions though reticent on revealing the source of their wealth, while she must coax the poor who are embarrassed. China claims that inequality has peaked, but economists suggest the data may be skewed. Inefficiencies, corruption and nepotism contribute to the inequality. Many of the poor aspire to be wealthy and often regard the outcomes as more a matter of luck than skill or talent. – YaleGlobal