Outrage Over Chinese Beggars In Cages At Religious Festival [GALLERY]

In order to keep them from “ruining the experience for visitors”, organisers of the annual temple fair in Nanchang, China, have ordered beggars to stay in purposely built cages. Those beggars not willing to comply with this are simply banished from the city by officials. The zoo-like structures are so small that adults are unable to stand up inside them. Have a look in the gallery below for more detailed images.

The irony here is that the Nanchang festival is a RELIGIOUS festival. It also has a funfair, market and entertainment as pilgrims come to the temple from all over China. One organiser, first stressing that “no one is forcing them to beg and that they have voluntarily entered the cages”, had the following explanation:

Over the last few years we have had increasing numbers of beggars turning up at the festival and it was becoming very intruding for our visitors. We had no choice but to ban them from the grounds. We found the cages a good solution for everyone. People can still give them donations if they desire too but are not harassed and followed around the festival when they are having a day out with their families. In a way it is better for them there than having to find a place on the busy streets.

This move has infuriated human rights campaigners in China who branded them “a human zoo that breaches human rights.”

[Source: Daily Mail]

Peter

So who exactly is outraged? I think it’s a great idea. No
one is forcing them to be there; they have shade from the sun, it’s not cramped
and they can come and go as they please. If there are too many beggars bothering
people they will stop coming, leading to less people giving them donations. This
is a way to deal with the situation so that both sides win.

Also there are some errors and exaggerations in this article. It’s not a cage,
it’s a fenced in area with a separate canopy and there is AMPLE room to stand.
You can actually see people in the photos standing in the areas. C’mon Steyn
stop being such a sensationalist.
Can you read?

Did you actually READ the article? “This move has infuriated human rights campaigners in China who branded them “a human zoo that breaches human rights.” Also, the only people “standing up” in these cages are INFANTS!
Peter

I am afraid you are wrong. There are 9 images above us, click the one on the far right in the middle row- there is someone standing up in the background. Next click the one on the far right in the bottom row- there is a man standing up wearing a grey shirt.

But besides the pictures of the people standing, if you look at the structure itself you can easily see that it is possible to stand up in them. It is not a cage, there is a fence with a canopy above it. The canopy is higher than the people who are walking past it. Is this not obvious?

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