A man begs in a subway carriage in Beijing in this Oct 18, 2009 file photo. [Photo/IC]

A photo of an 8-year-old boy begging with a disabled man in the Beijing subway was posted online on July 29. The attention the photo attracted prompted the police to investigate. After DNA tests and a thorough investigation, the police discovered the boy was sent out to beg with his disabled uncle by his mother. Beijing News comments on Tuesday:

The boy comes from a small village in Dingxi county, Northwest China's Gansu province, one of the poorest regions in the country with an average annual income of only 2,860 yuan ($400) per capita. To make a better living many of villagers from the county go to the big cities to beg.

It seems there is no responsible party in this story. Although it is illegal for parents to use their children for begging, the parents of the boy have no other feasible way to earn the same money.

There is also no blame that can be attached to the local government because it has provided the family with the poverty and disability allowances.

Instead, the story should prompt reflection on the flip side of China's economic growth: the huge development gap between regions and the astonishing poverty that is beyond the imagination of urban residents.

It is no wonder that urban white-collar workers find it unbelievable that parents would send their children to beg for money, as the pain of poverty that lies beneath the surface of China's overall fast development has been concealed.