The scene of Liu’s self-immolation as seen in a screenshot of footage taken by a bystander. (via RFA)
As a migrant worker from China’s countryside living in
Beijing, Mr. Liu had tried everything to meet the taxing requirements in
order to let his son attend a local school.
Finally, even after spending years navigating the bureaucracy and
giving up thousands, he failed to escape the confines of his rural
household registration.
In China, all citizens are factored into a system called “hukou” in
Chinese. People who have hukou in poor, rural regions can live and work
in large cities, but they and their relatives are generally barred from
enjoying most social benefits, including public education.
Mr Liu in the hospital. (via RFA)
Before he decided to set himself on fire to protest, Liu thought he
had collected enough money to cover the fees involved in allowing his
son to attend school in the Beijing district of Changping.
The breaking point came when the authorities informed Liu that his
submission had come too late, Radio Free Asia reported in May.
Liu and his wife appealed to the Changping authorities to no avail. Liu then set himself on fire as his wife wept.
The incident sparked broader protests among other people living in
Beijing without legal residence in the capital. The demonstrations were
quelled by police deployed in force.
Li Yuanhua, a retired associate professor at the Capital Normal
University in Beijing, condemned China’s household registration system
as a severe injustice.
“Just by having the misfortune of not being born in Beijing, it
doesn’t matter how much you have worked or what contributions you have
made to the city,” Li said in an interview with the New York-based New
Tang Dynasty Television. “You aren’t allowed the right to education like
other citizens.”
Li also blamed the unfair allocation of education funding for causing
massive gaps between richer and poorer regions. “The good schools get
better and better, just like the Chinese society as a whole, where the
gap in classes continues to widen.”
Liu is now receiving treatment at Beijing’s Jishuitan Hospital, and
the Changping government stated that they will foot part of his medical
fees.
News of the incident was soon censored throughout Chinese social media.
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