At 122 billionaires, China has the second-largest concentration of billionaires in the world, according to Forbes. Yet 13% of China's population lives on less than $1.25 a day.
China has a high Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality. In fact, during his outgoing speech at the 2012 National People's Congress, then president Hu Jintao said China should try and double its 2010 per capita income for urban and rural residents by 2020.
The Communist Party is weary of the growing wealth gap because of the risk it poses in the form of social unrest. To show just how disparate the lifestyle of wealthy Chinese is from China's poor, we drew on 22 images from Reuters photographer Kim Kyung-Hoon.
(L) Residents of an area for migrant workers watch a traveling circus troupe holding a show in Beijing and (R) celebrities and other guests attend a reception prior to a fashion show held at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park in Beijing.
(L) Residents gambling under streetlights in an alley of a residential area for migrant workers and (R) guests drinking Champagne as they wait for the start of a fashion show in Beijing.
"A combination photograph shows (L) a man carrying family members as passengers on his electric tricycle cart in Beijing and (R) visitors look around Rolls-Royce's vintage car during the Rolls-Royce's Concours d'Elegance event for celebrating its ten years business in China."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
     |