Fake story reflects real divide between rural, urban Chinese

A woman from a big Chinese city visits her boyfriend's rural hometown and is so appalled by the squalor she sees that she dumps him. The story was fake, but it swept through Chinese media because it highlighted a deep societal gap that the ruling Communist Party has vowed to close. Rural Chinese not only make less than city-dwellers but also receive significantly fewer social-welfare benefits, worsening a divide that was brought into focus by the fictional breakup, initially posted online as a real-life account. Read more