Rejig economy, reduce inequality

Washington - Ding Xuan moved to Beijing 10 years ago, when she was six. Ding's mother, Zhang Dongcun, had been here since 1985. She moved to Beijing from a village in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, and made a living as a cleaning woman, while her husband did odd jobs.

They paid 5,000 yuan to enroll Ding in school and later managed to get her into one of the best public schools in Beijing, after knocking on countless doors, paying more money, and producing seven certificates to prove they lived and worked here.

Almost immediately, Ding became a top student. She continued to excel after she entered middle school, winning competitions in mathematics and English. However, as she was finishing the ninth grade early last year, officials at her middle school tried to persuade her to quit school and return to Wenzhou to pursue her studies.