Liu Ruiliang sobs while standing for trial in Beijing on September 3, 2006. He was convicted of killing his own son and sentenced to ten years in prison. [sina]

On the Chinese New Year's Eve of this year, while firecrackers popped outside Liu Ruiliang's home in suburban Beijing, tragedy loomed inside.

Liu Ruiliang threw his infant son to his death, preferring to end his son's life than to let him live without a Beijing hukou, or residence permit, which was denied to the boy, as Liu and his wife Shi Xiuwen do not own property in the city.

Hukou affects many aspects of life, including status, rights and educational opportunities.

According to residence registration regulations, Liu, who has a collective Beijing hukou, could not register his child for a Beijing hukou without owning property.

A temporary worker, Liu fed his family of three with meagre earnings. Making the 130 yuan per month for the ten--square-meter rented room they shared was hard enough for Liu, let alone making enough to buy a home in the capital where housing prices have skyrocketed in recent years.

After several failed attempts to get a Beijing hukou for his child, Liu became abnormally pensive, and would laugh out loud for no reason.

"I did not imagine that he might have had a mental problem. I thought that he was just over-tired from taking care of me and our baby," Shi recalled regretfully. "I should have saved my little son."

Neighbor Wu Xiuqing remembers the boy as having "big eyes, double eyelids, a small round face and a really pretty little chin," and Liu as being a reticent caring father who led an extremely frugal life.

The story is a another tragedy resulting from the hukou system, and many in the general public are deeply sympathetic to the poor, trapped father.

Currently the hukou system in large cities acts as a fence controlling the population, keeping city-dwellers in, and others out, through the many complicated relationships among the internal interests of the city and the hukou system.

For some years, the National Ministry of Security has attempted to reform the hukou system. Three years ago, they established a well-thought-out proposal, which has yet to be implemented nationwide.

Hukou experts point out that a breakthrough in hukou reform has to be proceeded by the severing of special job and education privileges from the hukou system.

Some netizens posting on sina.com say the baby coming into the world without a chance of getting a Beijing hukou was in fact a mistake.

Many posts refute that all are born equal and deserving of Respect, but in this case the hukou system gravely insulted the dignity of human life.

Shi no longer cares about the hukou issue now that the baby is gone.

Currently her greatest hope is for her husband to be released soon. "He deserves pity. If he gets out early, he can get treatment for his mental problems. After he gets well, I still want to have another child with him," she said.

"If he lives, I live too. If he is ruined, I am ruined too," she said.