As the PLA stages high-profile exercises around Taiwan to project strength and preserve political face, many women in neglected urban villages are left to survive in informal and often exploitative conditions.
These two extremes form a stark contrast. On one side, carefully choreographed military optics meant to signal power abroad. On the other, persistent social neglect at home.
It underscores a central contradiction of so-called “socialism with Chinese characteristics”: prioritising image, control, and intimidation over the everyday welfare and dignity of its own people.