During the seven years in which Beijing prepared for the Olympic Games, the city received 2.1 million new permanent residents, bumping the total to more than 15 million.
The increase includes migrant workers who have contributed to the success of the ongoing sporting event.
An article in the English-language newspaper China Daily says that as the host city of the Games, Beijing has proved to be a city open not only to athletes and sports fans from all over the world, but also to rural migrant workers who aspired to have their urban dream come true in the capital city. (Www.hxen.com)
Migrant workers such as construction workers, utility maintenance and sanitation workers, vegetable sellers, and transporters have become an inseparable part of the city thanks to their contributions.
The paper says Beijing has done a great deal in recent years to improve the living standards of its new settlers from rural areas by providing the same level of education and professional training to their children, and gradually granting them the social welfare that used to be enjoyed only by those with local household registrations.
The paper notes municipal decision-makers have come to realize that migrant workers who are contributing to this city should get the pay and services they deserve. It says further progress of the city can only happen with their contribution.
