Material compiled by Zhang, our editor for the Chinese region

This photo was taken by ‘Ah yuan’, who posted this comment on his blog: “We respect this old woman for her courage and resistance, but we're sad to see the lack of social security in our country.” The woman pictured, who could be in her 80s, has to continue working to stay alive. She’s been selling newspapers in the Haidan district of Beijing for the last ten years.