The “McRefugees” of China

“If you don’t have money, you can barely sleep.”

China’s homeless have begun turning one of the most recognizable beacons of global American corporatism for a bit of shut-eye: McDonald’s. With more than a thousand of the restaurants in mainland China open 24 hours a day, it has become a haven for the homeless in a country that severely restricts shelter residency. The New York Times profiles a few of those who make the nightly trek to the golden arches.

Read more:
“China’s Homeless Find Shelter Under McDonald’s Golden Arches” (The New York Times)

Additional reading:
“1,400 homeless sleeping on Hong Kong’s streets, double government estimates” (South China Morning Post)
“Down and Out in China” (Radio Free Asia)

(Image Credit: Lam Yik Fei/The New York Times)