The story of a young couple taking their child onto the sidewalk and setting up a makeshift tent to live in has become a focus of media and public attention.
This incident took place a few months ago near the children's palace in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
Mr. Đổng and Ms. Vương, a married couple registered as residents of Shenzhen and originally from Jiangxi Province, erected a roadside tent as a place to “come and go.”
In fact, this young couple had previously bought a home in Zhuhai and were financially comfortable. In 2014, however, Đổng's business failed, forcing them to sell the home to repay their debts.
In 2016, the couple decided to move to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province to start over, but unfortunately thieves stole all their documents.
Speaking to Sina's online newspaper, Ms. Vương said her family had to rely on several rescue stations to return from Xi'an to Shenzhen. They had been living on sidewalks for the past 3 months.
Simple household items used in Ms. Vương’s family’s daily life.
With no home, no money, and a child just 3 years old to care for, the whole family had no choice but to live that way. Most of their food also came from people around them.
The woman also said the makeshift life her family was maintaining was not too bad: food and drink were free, as were parks and libraries, so they could still get by day to day.
According to Ms. Vương, both she and her husband are highly educated, so teaching their child is not difficult. She holds a master's degree in medicine and worked after graduation, but stayed home to care for her child after marrying. Her husband, Mr. Đổng, holds a master's degree in computer science.
Asked why the couple did not find jobs to improve their lives, Ms. Vương said they had no money and her husband's documents had not yet been replaced. Her identity card had been reissued, and she intended to find work, but every application had been rejected.
When it comes to the future, the whole family seems uncertain. After being turned down for jobs many times, Ms. Vương has decided to stop searching, while her husband, despite having worked in IT for many years, says he does not intend to return to the profession.
Ms. Vương and her husband's makeshift tent.
“Ordinary people in this situation all want life to become better. But this is something we do voluntarily, rather than doing something we dislike just to survive,” Mr. Đổng shared.
When a family faces a crisis, most people think of asking friends and relatives for help. But Đổng believed his parents had placed great expectations on him, so he did not want them to know his current situation.
Ms. Vương being interviewed by the press.
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