It occupies a massive 9,000-square-meter site and, in theory at least, offers respite to some of the most powerless people in our society.

But three weeks after opening, one of four shelters opened for vagrants and the urban homeless in Beijing is still virtually empty.

Given that it lies about 25 kilometers from downtown, it's perhaps hardly surprising that the Chaoyang District shelter is currently only home to 13 people.

Indeed, help is needed from the shelter head Cao Tian to find the place, located behind rows of residential houses. The Chinese characters "Bo Ai" (universal love) can eventually be seen above the gate.

This is the first of four shelters built specifically for vagrants and beggars in Beijing. They all went into operation at the start of this month.

In the ambitious words of Li Xueju, Minister of Civil Affairs, shelters across China will offer help for at least 2 million vagrants and beggars. That seems to be at odds with the experience at Chaoyang.

Indeed the other three shelters in Beijing report a similar story: they're almost deserted.

Asked how homeless people can be expected to find the place, so far from downtown, Cao Tian explained the shelter has urban patrol cars downtown.

"They (vagrants) can tell patrol police or urban managing officials what they want, and then their information will be relayed to our office downtown. Our cars are waiting all day long for these homeless and helpless people," Cao said.

Officials can also take the initiative and ask them if they need help, he added.

"If they say 'Yes' they can be taken to our shelter. If the answer is 'No', the police let them go on their way," Cao said. "The new regulation highlights the principle of voluntary participation and free aid and it aims to safeguard citizens' freedom of the person as laid down in the Constitution."

Yet almost no beggars agreed to be taken to the shelter. Many simply remain on Beijing's streets, according to Cao.

"Voluntary participation and free aid are the core principles of the new regulation and we cannot do anything against that principle," said Minister Li Xueju.

Homeless people refusing to go to the shelters trouble officials on civil affairs. But there exists another problem.

"We have to be able to distinguish the real homeless and helpless people from people just enjoying free food and other aid," Cao admitted.

He revealed that some individuals carrying mobile phones have come to the shelter and claimed to have suffered huge losses in business and say they have no money for food and housing.

Others just want transport costs to go back to their original hometown.

"I think it doesn't matter that some people exploit a loophole of the regulation by getting free aid and free living for several days in the shelter," Minister Li Xueju said. "We cannot ignore the regulations just because of some small loopholes and problems."

Free food, housing and transportation costs are a small part of the overall cost of these shelters.

Those with serious illness who need long-term hospital treatment pose a major burden on both the shelters and the new regulations, according to Cao Tian.

"As you know there are many poor people who have suffered illness but cannot afford the fee for treatment. If they ask for help to find the shelter, how can I deal with them?" Cao said.

"On the one hand, lots of people who are qualified for the free help refuse to come to our shelter. On the other, we have to care for some others outside the free-aid list," he admitted.

Beijing's four shelters are located in Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan districts. Vagrants in the downtown districts of Xicheng, Dongcheng, Chongwen and Xuanwu will be also sent to one of the four shelters.

The shelters aim to help homeless people who cannot afford food or housing, are without relatives to help them, and who do not qualify for allowances available for urban or rural residents, according to the regulations released by the State Council.

Homeless people will be able to stay at the shelters for no more than 10 days, according to the new rules.

Those who have made a career of begging and show no inclination of taking up regular employment will not be helped.

The Measures on Aid and Management for Urban Vagrants and Beggars was approved by the State Council in mid-July.

It aims to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in a bid to maintain social order in cities.

It was previously common practice in many big cities to collect street tramps -- defined as those "who are without legal papers, nor a normal dwelling place, nor a normal means of support," and place them in temporary confinement before deporting them to their place of origin.

This is the third year that Wang Shiying, 74, has loitered around the streets of Beijing, trying to find her husband.

The hungry Wang felt faint in the street and was sent to the shelter in northeast Chaoyang District.

The shelter and staff there can offer Wang free food and housing for 10 days or longer. But they cannot help her find her husband, who has been dead for almost three years.

The death of her husband left Wang mentally deranged. She still believes he is alive somewhere.

When staff of the Chaoyang shelter for homeless people encountered Wang in Beijing, she was still decently dressed, with gold rings in her ears. She just remembers the purpose of her trip to Beijing and the name of her hometown in Central China's Hubei Province.

"We have contacted the local government of her hometown according to the information Wang gave us," said Cao Tian, director of the Changyang shelter. "The local official confirmed Wang is from Hubei. Wang was the chairwoman of the local women's federation."

This is in fact the third time Wang has left her hometown to search for her husband, the official in Wang's local government said.

Wang's husband used to come to Beijing for meetings, making Wang believe her husband might still be here.

"If she wants to stay here longer, we would like to take care of her," Cao told the reporter.

Doctors in the shelter give Wang regular health checks and helpers feed her at meal times.

The Chaoyang shelter for homeless people also houses some people who are young, strong and have a home.

Zhang Baoru, 28, who fled from East China's Shandong Province, is one among them.

According to Zhang, he had trouble with local underworld gangsters, forcing him to leave his hometown.

Zhang said he was not going to stay in the shelter for more than 10 days. He wants to find a job in Beijing and get back to his hometown someday.

Staff in the shelter cannot verify if Zhang's claim is true or not.

Another important role of the shelters in Beijing is to care for disabled people from across China.

Some of them have mental problems while others suffer from physical problems. Staff in the shelters help disabled people to eat, bathe and go to the toilet.

According to Cao, the government has not yet decided how much to subsidize each homeless person during their stay at the shelter.

But the average monthly salary of staff in the Beijing-based shelters is less than 500 yuan (US$60), according to Cao.

(China Daily HK Edition August 29, 2003)