In City Ban, a Sign of Wealth and Its Discontents - New York Times
The New York Times

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January 15, 2007
Guangzhou Journal
In City Ban, a Sign of Wealth and Its Discontents
By
JIM YARDLEY

GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 11 - Guangzhou, the chaotic export capital in
southern China, appeared to hit a major Chinese milestone this month,
becoming the
country's first city to reach a per capita income of $10,000 - more than
five times the nationwide figure and a rough threshold for becoming a
"developed"
country.

But in a measure of just how problematic prosperity can be here, the city
will institute a ban on motorcycles and motorized bicycles on Monday, hoping
to
quell a crime wave that has been building to more than 100,000 offenses a
year.

The vehicles, the primary mode of transport for migrant workers clawing
their way up Guangzhou's economic ladder, are also favored by criminals who
have
terrorized the city in recent years, including a shocking case in late 2005,
when a woman had her hand cut off by a thief on a motorcycle. News accounts
concluded that motorcycle thieves were divided into gangs, including one
called the Hand Choppers.

"Crime will be a long-term problem in Guangzhou," said Peng Peng, director
of research management for the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences. "As
long
as there is a vast gap between the rich and poor in the city, Guangzhou will
suffer from crime."

The Communist Party is forever trying to focus the expectations of the
Chinese people on a better, if distant, future where everyone is more
affluent and
where China is a true modern nation. Yet cities like Guangzhou and nearby
Shenzhen, which have already begun to taste real prosperity, are learning
how
new wealth can bring new problems and not always solve the old ones. As
incomes have risen in Guangzhou, so have crime, traffic and inequality.

Inequality here is unquestionably stark between the 7.5 million registered
residents and the estimated 3.7 million migrants. This week, Guangzhou had
to
lower its per capita income figure to $7,800; the $10,000 level had been
calculated without including migrants, whose wages are notoriously low.

But public sympathy has limits, particularly since studies show that
migrants are responsible for much of the city's street crime. Most major
Chinese cities
feel very safe by American standards. Still, in Guangzhou, thefts, purse
snatching, robberies and muggings have become common. One 2006 poll found
that
only 20 percent of residents felt safe. Hawkers at one pedestrian overpass
in Tianhe District were selling switchblades and collapsible metal rods as
self-defense
weapons.

Last March, Zhang Guifang, a high-ranking Communist Party official in the
city, signaled a tougher stance when he encouraged police officers to open
fire
on crime suspects when necessary. The police subsequently shot five mugging
suspects, and crime seemed to slow down.

Recently, there has been talk, including by a high-ranking official in
Guangzhou's Communist Party, of capping the number of migrants allowed into
the city
as a means of curbing social problems. As yet, the city has not instituted
any restrictions, but the motorcycle ban has already forced thousands of
motorcycle
taxi riders to leave. Others have turned over their motorcycles and
motorized bicycles to government impound lots in exchange for modest cash
payments.

"It might be because Guangzhou is richer now," said Lin Mu, 50, a motorcycle
taxi driver, offering an explanation for the ban and then laughing at his
own
words. "There are no more poor people, so there is no room for motorcycles!
Everyone has millions and millions!"

Another migrant, who gave only his last name, Gong, idled his motorcycle
with other riders along a major thoroughfare in the city's Tianhe District.
"A
lot of people have left," said Mr. Gong, 40, his eyes darting in search of
customers as well as police officers. "We're just biding our time until the
final deadline on the 15th."

Mr. Gong said he migrated to Guangzhou five years ago from Hunan Province.
He had earned about $250 a month on his motorcycle - a healthy wage for a
migrant
- but now he said he was not certain what he would do.

"Oh, here they come, here they come!" he said, suddenly racing off as two
police officers approached on a motorbike. "Sorry, I've got to go."

Along Beijing Road, one of Guangzhou's most fashionable shopping boulevards,
random interviews found that nearly everyone had been robbed or knew someone
who had been. Maggie Qu, 20, who recently graduated from a local technical
college, said a thief stole her wallet and cellphone out of her purse two
months
ago. Her friend, Chen Jianguo, 21, expressed sympathy for migrants - "They
are Chinese, after all" - but he blamed them for the crime problem. "They do
bring crime," Mr. Chen said. "Unemployed people and uneducated people have
to make a living, so they may resort to crime."

He added: "There are too many of them coming, and there are not enough job
opportunities."

Of course, migrants are also responsible for performing the hard labor that
generates much of the city's economic output - just like elsewhere in China.
Ye Cunhuan migrated to Guangzhou from Hubei Province in 2003 and opened four
stores that sell motorized bicycles. These bikes, equipped with small
motors,
are popular for deliveries and also for people who cannot afford a
motorcycle. Now, Ms. Ye has had to close two stores and is facing ruin.

"This has been fatal to my business," she said.

She has responded by filing a lawsuit that claims the ban violates a
national law that establishes the legality of motorcycles and motorized
bicycles. The
case was heard last Monday, and she expects a verdict by March. Ms. Ye
scoffed at the idea that criminals used motorized bicycles, given their low
rate
of speed, and characterized the ban as an act of discrimination against
migrants and others with less money.

"They don't want to see any of the poor or any ugliness on the streets," Ms.
Ye said. "They want Guangzhou to be a city that attracts wealth and beauty
and is full of luxury cars."

Lin Yang contributed to this article.