Behind The Boom - China

Feb 2007
China's economic boom is built on the backs of migrant workers, who flock to the cities in search of work. What are their lives like and are they getting their share of China's new prosperity?

Zou Heyen arrived in Shanghai less than a week ago. "I'm not used to life here yet. I feel like jelly after a day's work and I'm not used to the climate", she complains. She shares a cramped room with seven other girls and probably won't see her family, who live four days away, for months. But already, she has no regrets. "At home we didn't have enough to eat. I've experienced hardship so I can bear a lot". Xu Chuanruo is also grateful for the opportunities in Shanghai. He works 12 hours a days, 7 days a week, sweeping streets and rarely sees his wife and children. However, the job pays double what he earned breaking stones in his village and at least now he can support his children through college. "It's a great joy to work hard for my child", he states. "My son won't have to work in the fields". In the cramped worker dormitories, there's a sense of comradeship and shared endeavour. The lives of migrant workers may be difficult but it seems enough for them to know their children will enjoy a better future.

Produced by SBS/Dateline
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

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• Economy
• Boom
• Power
• Prosperity
• Work
• future
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[onnyeung]

work or go hungry.. i like

[WaterKirby9]

@ChrisVaughn85 wow you ran out of any reason and logic to continue the argument so you then decide to use racist words. piss off.

[RalphMuskinyaar]

amazing what parents go through just to see their kids be educated.

[sihanling]

japan is getting old and their birth rate is among the lowest in the world. japan cannot hope to compete with china in the future if they do not have a baby boon within the next 10 - 15 years. otherwise Japan's overall economy will be overwhelmed by the population of worker bees living in china.

[rw5791]

@giriisindahouse the us navy always has at least one trident sub on patrol duty off the coast of red china,24-7.The chinkjs have no way to detect it and yet one trident has enough nuclear ballistic missiles to destroy every major city in red china within 15 minutes.

[rw5791]

mao looked like bozo the clown with that stupid haircut of his.

[songchao528]

1200yuan is not correct, this work at least earning 2500-3000, in china every 0.5 second there is one people get rid of poverty. it is great.

[giriisindahouse]

I'm Indian and I see more sense in the Chinese system than the US system. People striving hard for excellence is NOT a violation of human rights like how some Americans say. Look at US. They owe the world $15 trillion and $1.2 trillion of it is to the Chinese. Want to speak about human rights now?

[KRC120]

@ChrisVaughn85 whats ching chong? is that some white language from the west? hahah that sounds funny!

but seriously.. at least some chinese can speak, and write english.. but white people? nahhh they dont know how to speak and write Chinese hahaha and you say Ching Chong.. soo immature.

[wupeide]

1200 a month is not a good salary in China.

[GuanYu89]

@consoleman09  coming from whoreans who were our vassal state for 1000yrs hahahahha!

[GuanYu89]

@consoleman09 coming from whoreans who were our vassal state for 1000yrs hahahahha!