Beauty queen sparks ugly debate in Shenzhen By Chen Hong (China Daily) Updated: 2005-11-24 05:44
Kitty Wang
parades in swimsuit during the
contest. | "It's unfair. I have worked hard
here for a decade and have no chance of getting residency. How can she get it so
easily just for having a beautiful face and a shapely figure?" said Liu Yong, an
interior designer working in Shenzhen.
Another employee, surnamed Lu, working for a trading company, complained: "If
the government wants to attract more talent to a certain industry, the special
policy should relate to a group of people rather than a single star."
According to the existing policy, companies are granted a set number of
residencies for their employees if they have paid at least 50,000 yuan
(US$6,165) in corporation taxes in the previous financial year or have exported
more than US$2 million goods or services.
For the self-employed, only those who have paid at least 80,000 yuan
(US$9,860) personal income taxes for three consecutive years can apply for a
residency allowance.
Official figures show the city squeezes 10.70 million people into less than
2,000 square kilometres. Of those more than 10 million people, about 9 million
are migrant workers who have no permanent residency.
Migrant workers do not enjoy the same social security benefits as permanent
residents, and their children do not have the same rights to education in the
city.
However, some who call the city home supported the decision to make Wang a
registered Shenzhener, believing her example will encourage young people that
excellence in any industry can bring success.
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