There is simply no end to China's hard-luck stories

It is trial by paperwork.

The flimsy individual petitions stand little chance against the mountain of red tape inside the system.

Almost none of the cases is successful, but the aggrieved residents of Fengtai's alleys refuse to give up.

"Some people have been petitioning for 20 years," said one man, who gave his name as Chen.

"But they are still here. There is nowhere else to go," he said.