Just back from a few days in China

We just got back from a few days in China, near Shantou. I made a lot of observations about the place, which I'll put up later, but for now I would just like to say that Shenzen is putrid festering sore of a city. The beggars and the rampant theft need to be cleaned up straight away. Also, any taxi driver who attempts to drop you off in a crowd of beggars should be shot on sight.

We had a taxi attempt to do this to us tonight. Instead of Lo Wu Station, the border crossing point, he wanted to put us out in a dark side street full of beggars trying to open the doors. We locked the doors and started screaming at the taxi driver to get us out of there. It was only when Sanley started mentioning his taxi number on the phone to someone (not the police, but he didn't know that) that he started moving. All the while beforehand, he'd been talking some northern dialect. Many of the beggars are also from the North and the West.

What I want to know is, if Shenzen is supposed to have controlled borders, why are there so many beggars there? Can they apply for a begging license? Why on earth does the Shenzen government think it's acceptable for a supposedly flagship city to be filled with deformed beggars? Why do they allow the lawlessness? I know it's endemic to China, but you'd think they could try and make a special case with a city bordering Hong Kong.