Young migrant rural worker on the Phoenix City construction site. Guangdong Province. December 2002. [# 5862-12]
Migrant rural worker from Hunan Province. On a building site at Nansha, where a new port is under construction, he searches the area for bits of steel, wire and any other materials that he might sell. I ask him how much he earns in a month. My interpreter repeats the question several times, but he doesn’t seem to understand. Later his wife turns up and says that she and her husband live from this work, which enables them to put aside ¥ 400 ($ 58) a month. In the background is a large sign on the front of an unfinished building: “We are constructing a five-star hotel and only use the very best materials.” Nansha, Guangdong Province. December 2002. [# 5867-10]
Migrant rural worker on the Phoenix City construction site. Guangdong Province. December 2002. [# 5880-6]
This 80 year old man from Dongguan worked as farmer his whole life. He thinks the development that China is presently undergoing is good. But he misses the feeling of community he still had just a couple of years ago. Guangdong Province. February 2005. [# 6239-8]
Young migrant rural workers from Shandong Province work as waiters in a restaurant in the city of Guangzhou. Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. February 2005. [# 6243-12]
Mr. Zhou (left), together with two of his three brothers (the third brother lives and works in the city of Guangzhou): his eldest brother (right), 48, worked as a migrant rural worker in Guangdong Province for three years. After he came back home he took care of the family, the fields, the houses and made it possible for his brothers to move to the city as well. Too much work, too much responsibility and no money meant that he couldn’t marry. The third eldest brother (middle) used to work as a migrant rural worker too in Guangdong Province, from 1986 –1992. He now works as a farmer but does help occasionally on construction sites. Shilian, Guang’an, Sichuan Province. May 2006. [# 6545-3]
Mr. Hu, 30, a migrant rural worker from Sichuan Province, loads and unloads coal freight trains. Shenyang, Liaoning Province. April 2007. [# 6732-11]
Street scene in the city of Datong. Datong, Shanxi Province. April 2007. [# 6752-3]
Coal miner prior to his shift that will take him 300 meters underground. Datong, Shanxi Province. April 2007. [# 6761-1]
Mr. Zhou, Mr.Chai, Mr. Hu and Mr. Luo, (left to right) all in their 50s, work at Bengbu Port. Bengbu, Anhui Province. March 2008. [# 6953-5]
Mr. Zhang, 61, retired farmer. Anhui Province. February 2008. [# 6955-4]
Migrant rural worker Mrs. Hu, 44, from Huaiyan town, Anhui Province, works at a brick factory. Huaiyan, Anhui Province. March 2008. [# 6955-11]
Mr. Zhou, 62, is not married and a farmer in the small village of Londi. Unable to make a living with farming only, he does recycling work as well. Londi, Anhui Province. March 2008. [# 6957-10]
Rapid urbanization in Chongqing surprisingly spared this little hill, allowing Mrs. Liu, 71, to continue her farm work. The city grows rapidly around her and it seems just a matter of time until her fields will vanish as well. The municipality of Chongqing had a registered population of more than 30 million in 2005. The population of the metropolitan areas will double from 10 million to 20 million in the next thirteen years. Chongqing, Chongqing Shi. March 2008. [# 6961-6]
Farmer Mr. Jiang, 34, lives with his wife and their child in the small Hua Yin village. He might leave his home to become a migrant worker. Sichuan Province. March 2008. [# 6964-11]
