China’s Covid generation: the surging inequality behind Xi’s U-turn
In late September, Tashi, a student in a rural village of fewer than 100 people in south-eastern Tibet, returned to school after a six-week lockdown.
The 15-year-old’s grades had deteriorated markedly after weeks of trying to take classes on a smartphone with patchy internet in a crowded house while being cared for by ageing grandparents. His parents were 750km away in Lhasa, the capital, working.
“It was very difficult to concentrate during the lockdown. My three younger siblings were also taking classes in a noisy house”, he says, sitting next to baskets of dried fungi and herbal medicines, which are his village’s main trade.… Seguir leyendo »