Protection Babies

What’s with all the babies? This is a question I used to often ask myself when I would walk outside the gate of Renmin University. The gate faces the street. There are many somewhat scruffy looking men and women sitting by the fences and on the curbs holding babies. And it has been this way almost everyday, especially as the weather got better. I have never seen such a congregation of babies in one area. One thing was obvious though. All these people holding babies are not there to have their babies play with each other or share parenting advice. Rather, they sit and with half-mumbled shouts, bark out at pedestrians as they pass by.

Since my Chinese has gotten better I finally could decipher what they are saying. "Diplomas, Graduation Papers, Drivers Licenses, Residency Permits!"

See, these people are selling illegal documentation. You can buy a fake Renmin University Diploma for about 500 RMB or about 60 dollars US. And moreover, you can buy it right in front of the university gate! How is that you ask?

Well of course, it is fake, but I hear that many companies do not take the effort to check an applicant’s documentation such as a diploma, so some people can get away with using a fake diploma. Need a Driver’s License? No problem, just buy one from one of these scruffy ladies on the street. Forget the hassles of going to Driver’s school, getting tested, and waiting for weeks. Not a resident of Beijing, but want to live and work here? Get a residency permit!

In China, people are not as free to move, reside and work as they would like. My understanding is that in some cases you must be a student or get some invitation from a company in Beijing to live there. This alleviates the crush of people trying to get out of the countryside and live in the city to improve their lives. So for some, a fake residency permit may well be worth the risk of getting one.

So why doesn’t the government or local police crack down on this blatant sale of illegal documentation in front of the school.

Well, that is where the babies come in. I guess the police have tried to make arrests. However, if the person they try to arrest is carrying a baby, then the police must also take custody of the baby as well. The police rather give warnings than go through the trouble of making arrests. Thus there are maybe twenty or more people carrying babies around in front of the school trying to sell stuff. One sale by one of these illegal peddlers may give them the money to live a whole month. Nonetheless, I shudder to think what kind of an education these babies get and what they will grow up to become.

Matter of fact, I just got a part time job teaching English to youngsters in the mornings for three weeks. The pay was too good to pass up, 140 RMB on hour, compared to the normal 100 an hour at my regular school. I may be forced to move out of my dorm in a few weeks. Thus I need to come up with some quick cash to put down a deposit and such. This part-time job should do just the trick.

The young kids I teach have never been overseas, but they can all read and speak English very well. I am just so impressed by their ability. They are all much better than many of the adults I teach in the evenings. Anyway, one can see how divergent a path people lives can take starting off so young. If I ever have kids, I will certainly want to get them started off right!