A Ten Year Old Girl For Sale

Ten year old Jinxi was wiping her name from an advertisement of herself painted on the outside wall of her step father's house. She only wiped out her name, but dare not touch the words 'Good Price for Sale' and the contact phone number.

August 10, 2012, Jinxi was dragged out of bed by her step father Mr. Wu Hainan to the local human trafficking market in Mile County of Yunnan Province. Wu hanged a big sign on Jinxi's neck, which read 'Good Price for Sale' and his phone number. When police was tipped to the scene, Wu was bargaining with a buyer. He insisted such as pretty and obedient girl worth at least 100 thousand Yuan ($1500).

Police escorted Jinxi back to her home, a new government development ironically named 'Harmonic Garden'. Wu refused to let police and the Jinxi in. A local official came to persuade Wu to open the door.

Police and local officials informed Wu it was against the law to sell children for money. The family had been receiving government vouchers for low income people of RMB 453 Yuan ($60) per month. They lives in a government subsidized low rent housing development. The government will help them in case of financial difficulties. In the end, Wu agreed to keep Jinxi, for now.

'Government voucher was not even enough to pay the rent for the 400 square feet apartment,' said Wu. Wu stated he was in his 50s, no longer fit to earn enough money for the family of three.

Reporters visited the family in the afternoon on August 16, guided by local police. Jinxi was scared to see so many people because she was afraid Wu had made a deal with a buyer. Many advertisements of Jinxi could be seen all around the housing development complex.

Soon it was 6 o'clock. Jinxi made dinner, then work on her summer homework and calligraphy exercises.

Her step mother Ms. Bi Sheng was disabled from Poliomyelitis. She told the reporters she found the girl when she was 3 days old on a roadside. She loved the girl. Bi said after the August 10 incident, she slept with Jinxi everyday. If Wu would sell Jinxi again, she would inform the police. She was worried she did not have strength to fight off Wu, and Jinxi would be sold one day.

Wu was not at home that day.

Here are the conversation between reporters and Jinxi:

Reporters: 'What if your step father sold you?'
Jinxi: 'I can't think that far, I don't know about future. Perhaps I do not have a good fortune'.

Reporters: 'Do you hate your biological parents?'
Jinxi: 'Sir, I don't really understand what is hate. Actually I found them, and visited their family once, where I have a big sister and a litter brother. They are very poor. I do not hate them.'

Reporters, 'Then do you hate your step parents?'
Jinxi: 'How boring and exhausted it would be if you have to hate this one and that one everyday? Why hate someone?'

Jinxi told reporters that the only thing she could do was to work hard on her schoolwork, grow up and find a good job so she can give her step parents a good life.

Reporters made several attempts to contact Jinxi's step father, but Wu refused to answer the phone. When they left, they were not sure whether they would be able to see Jinxi again.

Students Need a Bridge

While many bridges-to-nowhere are being built within and beyond mainland China boundary, a bridge has been urgently called for years. Students in Maji Village of Fugong County, Nujiang Prefecture of Yunnan Province have been commuting across the Nujian River like this every day for years. More than a dozen children fell in the river and many lost their lives in each and every year.

While pictures like these had shocked the nation in multiple occasions, whenever some tourists posted them online, the government of the Fugong Country had insisted that it had no money to build a bridge, being a national level poverty county. It is estimated by the government that CNY 400,000 (USD $60,000) would be needed to build the bridge.

The excuse was recently challenged by a reporter Gao Tianjun of Xinhua News, who revealed that the county Party chief bought himself an Audi with over CNY 700,000 government money. Gao questioned, why couldn't the Party chief use a less luxury car, and save some government money for the bridge.

People say, China is ruled by nine blinded men.

Lawyer Chained to Basketball Hoops

A Yunnan judge ordered a lawyer public humiliation. Mr. He pointed to the basketball hoops he had been chained to.

Mr. He represented a client in First Civil Court or Chengjiang County, Yuxi Metropolitan, Yunnan Province in the morning of July 10, 2009. During the court deliberation, Mr. He asked the presiding judge, Mr. Hong, what is the court's opinion as to his client's intention to add the defendant's spouse to the case filed to the court 15 days ago. Judge Hong replied, that would be not necessary, 'as I am orally notifying you now'. Later, Judge Hong asked the attorneys to sign on the transcript. Mr. He noticed the exchange about adding defendant's spouse was missing from the transcript. Mr. He refused to sign the transcript until it is corrected.

Judge Hong then ordered a deputy sheriff to lock the lawyer to a basketball hoops in public.

The lawyer, Mr. He told reporters that he had no contention to the court's power of arresting lawyers. However, it needs approval from the Chief Judge of a court according to the law. He alleged that it was unlawful to have a lawyer locked up by a judge without approval of the chief judge of a court.

Mr. Hong Jiajing, Deputy Chief Judge of Chengjiang County told the reporter that it is a common practice (the judge not following proper procedure) because they have a heavy workload. Mr. Pan Wanhong, the Chief Judge told the reporter that he did not want to comment.