Beggars and panhandlers in Beijing

Begging is not banned in Beijing though it is not encouraged. Beggars in Beijing are commonly found in public places such as street corners, underpasses, malls, popular tourist spots, where they request money using cups, boxes or hats to collect the donations.

Beijing local government has provided homeless shelters on a voluteer basis for the homeless and beggars, which is aimed at reducing any survival need for begging. But most of the professional beggars are not willing to use the homeless shelters. The reason is very simple - they make more money outside on the streets, even richer than an office worker. Their motto is "it is easier to beg for it than to earn it".

So it is unfare for those who are truly poor and in the need of help from others because people find it hard to distinguish the fake beggars from the poor, the visibly handicapped, or the blind . It is these fake beggars who have taken advantage of people's kindness. When coming across true beggars, most of the people would take no notice of them due to the fact that people are afraid of being fooled.

To give or not give is a frequent question on our mind when we meet beggars on the streets. My advice is that if not sure whether the beggars are true or not, you just ignore them. At least, not giving beggars money discourages them to remain on the street begging otherwise they have good reason not to look for a job. If you feel the beggars are really poor and in need of help, you are advised to give them something to eat instead of money. If you really want to donate to help the poor, you are recommneded to give more to organisations like Red Cross in Beijing China. They have checkable accounts on the work they do with the money they collect.

You are strongly advised not to give any money to child beggars. Some child beggars may be linked to the adult beggars ( parent-child relationship), but some child beggars are said to be stolen from some parts of China and made into physically handicapped child beggars in order to easily beg more money from passers-bys. If you give money to child beggars, you may have the risk of getting a swarm of them.

You may find some beggars with unsightly deformities cruising around on the streets, which make you feel very sick. In my opinion, it is a blackmail. They should be banned in a capital city like Beijing.

Finally I also feel sorry for those fake beggars. If they have a decent job, why begging? In begging, they have no personal dignity. Though sometimes we are unhappy with their deceptive panhandling, I still feel sorry for them.

Have a happy travel in Beijing!

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2.Xicheng District Rescue center Tel: 62210944、62219884 Add: Gaojin Hutong 16, Xineidajie, Xicheng District Zip Code: 100035

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12.Changping District Rescue Center Tel: 69779744、69742386 Add: The former home for the aged in Nankou, Changping District Zip: 102202

13. Huairou District Rescue Center Tel: 60697046 Add: The Home for the aged in Miaochengzhen, Huairou District Zip Code: 101400

14.Mentougou District Rescue Center Tel: 69842174、61891128 Add: Zhongmensi Dajie, Longquan Home for the Aged, Mentougou District Zip Code: 102300

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16. Miyun County Rescue Center Tel: 6904274、69042744 Add: Rescue Section of Civil Affairs Bureau in Miyun District Zip Code: 101500

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18.Pinggu District Rescue Center Tel: 69960316 Add: Fuqian Xijie 8, Pinggu District Zip Code: 101200