Poverty Alleviation

[Big read] From 80 square feet to a home: New hope for Hong Kong’s poor?

Hong Kong’s persistently high property prices have left hundreds of thousands of its residents with little choice but to rent subdivided units with terrible living conditions. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing speaks to residents to find out if government initiatives are helping.

Tai Hing Shing

08 Oct 2025

[Big read] Durians, tea and livestreams: Can rural China power its 2035 modernisation dream?

Durians and livestreaming are boosting China’s rural economy, but can border trade compete with established hubs? Experts weigh in on the challenges of revitalising remote areas, from corruption to talent drain, as China aims for modernisation by 2035. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei reports from Malipo county on the China-Vietnam border.

Sim Tze Wei

04 Jun 2025

[Video] Farmers' markets on China's 'slow trains': Going places

In today's fast-paced world, China's "slow trains" remain essential. They stop at many otherwise inaccessible areas, providing transport for rural residents and a means for them to bring their agricultural products to nearby towns. Designated cabins on the train turn into makeshift farmers' markets, especially in the run-up to Chinese New Year.

Yi Jina

16 Feb 2024

China's 'first generation of migrant workers' fail to achieve generational leap

As China's migrant workers get older, it can get harder for them to find jobs, especially for those aged 50 and above. Add to that the challenges of physical limits, lack of education and general disadvantages in terms of salary and insurance, and the issue of elderly migrant workers becomes very stark.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

17 Jan 2024

What is China's 'new era'? [Part 1]

EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore explains why the sudden reversal of globalisation, constant turbulence due to global developments and the fragmentation of international relations are some very real coordinates of China's "new era". In response, apt and concrete policies along the socialism axis can be devised to meet the challenges.

Lance Gore

03 Feb 2023

[Party and the man] Xi Jinping faces biggest challenges in decades

While Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to secure a third term at the 20th Party Congress, Loro Horta recalls the saying that one should "be careful what you wish for". The road ahead in his third term looks to be fraught with challenges, both domestically and externally. This is the first in a series of four articles on President Xi Jinping and the road ahead.

Loro Horta

27 Sep 2022

Can China's movies depict poverty and the ugliness of society?

The movie Return to Dust depicts the difficult circumstances of a rural couple in China. Despite the high ratings and box office takings, some detractors say that the film feeds Western stereotypes of rural Chinese. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan looks at whether the movie panders to Western tastes, and whether it invalidates China's efforts at poverty alleviation.

Yu Zeyuan

05 Sep 2022

Pandemic could stymie China's poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation efforts

The Covid-19 pandemic has badly hit the Chinese economy, with ordinary folk bearing the brunt of the impact. Migrant workers and rural farmers have had to pivot to other fields to make ends meet, and even then the outlook is still grim. Can the authorities safeguard its efforts in poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation? Zaobao journalists Miao Zong-Han and Zeng Shi look into the issue.

Miao Zong-Han, Zeng Shi

14 Jul 2022

Why Xi Jinping's bold experiments with socialism are commendable

While China's market-based socialism with Chinese characteristics has lifted many out of poverty, creating the Chinese miracle, the ills of abiding by the "laws of the market" should be tackled and reined in. In the ever-evolving model of new socialism, a mechanism needs to be established that can raise and maintain a good standard of living in the absence of economic growth. This is so that people can transcend the pursuit of the material and live their lives with meaning and purpose.

Lance Gore

23 Jun 2022

Do Gen Z Americans hold the key to improving China-US relations?

American youths today are dealing with more issues and turmoil than their previous generations. US academic Wu Guo believes that the culmination of terrorist attacks, financial crises, social injustice and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have led to a generation that is more politically, socially and environmentally aware. These challenges and experiences could be a path for Americans to connect with the world outside of the US, in particular with China.

Wu Guo

11 May 2022

It is debatable whether China has truly alleviated poverty

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in February 2021 China's complete victory in its fight against poverty. While China's poverty alleviation efforts spanned 40 years since its reform and opening up in 1978, its definition of its poverty standards has been ill-defined. Taiwan academic Liu Chin-tsai believes that there is more to be scrutinised before China becomes a global model for poverty alleviation.

Liu Chin-tsai

21 Apr 2022

A Singaporean in China: Contact tracing lays bare the lives of ordinary Chinese

Through contact tracing records of Covid-19 positive patients, people are getting a glimpse of how their fellow Chinese live their lives. While the detailed records bring up the question of privacy, they have helped to highlight the issue of inequality in big cities and the lives of those who are toiling away and struggling to make ends meet. Beijing-based Singaporean Jessie Tan shares the stories that have gripped the attention of Chinese netizens.

Jessie Tan

08 Apr 2022