Shanghai's McRefugees

One doesn't automatically place homelessness and affluent Shanghai on the same page but they do co-exist. Some low income Shanghai residents are camping out in fast food joints. Recently a homeless refugee stabbed a McDonald's employee, bringing this problem into sharp relief. The Shanghaist has an article translated from a Ghangzhou weekly newspaper about this phenomena.

In response to questions about people sleeping over at McDonalds, a spokesperson named Mr. Lu said the store "doesn't explicitly allow it, but doesn't explicitly disallow it." But for all the stores in the Tianyaoqiao Lu area, KFC has the most serious McRefugee problem. "Because there's sofas there, [McDonalds] only has hard stools. In the winter, people will even bring their blankets and bedrolls into the restaurant."

Every time night falls, 123 Tianyaoqiao Lu becomes like a railway waiting room. Young couples and people returning from a late night of KTV fill the place, most customers have nothing to do with the McRefugees.

This is a loosely connected group. Every night after 10pm, they gradually gather here. All they have is a backpack or a canvas bag, or sometimes nothing at all. They usually sit at the farthest booth from the ordering station, and never order a drink. To entertain themselves, they bring kung fu novels, financial or educational books, and leftover newspapers from other customers. After midnight, they are scattered around every corner of the restaurant. Some in the sofaed partitions, using their books or newspapers as pillows, leaning over tables or even using rows of seats as beds.

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