Strangers in the City - pt. 2

As promised, part 2:

Shen, 35, Construction Worker

“I don’t really have much contact with the people around here. I’m here for the work.” Having worked in the construction industry for seven years and in six different cities, Shen’s relationship with the city he now happens to inhabit is definitely a marriage of convenience. That being said, there’s not much love lost regarding his home village, either. “Work’s work. It isn’t really on to be asking for holidays all the time. If there’s a spare weekend here and there, I might go home, since the transport’s so easy from here.” As a family man and roving beneficiary of China’s booming construction industry, his main concern is working his way up the ladder to the coveted rank of foreman. Moving with the work, Shen is a fully paid-up member of China’s substantial “floating” population.

He also has an unswerving faith in the power of China’s continued development to keep workers like him insulated and afloat in the wake of the current global economic turmoil. “I’m not worried about my job. Ever since this country was founded it’s needed new buildings. There’s no way that’s going to just tail off.” As far as he’s concerned, his industry’s ability to weather any storm is assured. “I don’t know what I’d do if things did take a turn for the worse. It’s just not something I’ve devoted any thought to.”

A pragmatist he may be, but perhaps unlike many others Shen also derives a strong sense of satisfaction from his work. “It’s a great feeling to complete a project. Everyone from the boss down to the laborers get’s pretty worked up about it. Still, it’s a shame we don’t get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.”

Cao Junqiao, 20, Waitress

“I never thought I’d miss my family this much.” As she speaks fondly of her parents back in Anhui, or protectively of her younger brother (like her, a recent migrant), it becomes apparent that after the initial excitement of arriving the big city, the reality of living a life uprooted from family and friends is starting to hit home for Cao. “My mum called over autumn festival; she was all worked up, worrying that I wasn’t going to get my moon-cakes this year.”

Cao is still relatively new in town. After graduating from high school in June, she decided to head for Nanjing with a group of her classmates. Arriving with no jobs awaiting them, no knowledge of the city, and no money, the first few days were tough going. “When we first got here, we had nowhere booked to stay, so we dumped our bags at the Nanjing Library. We had scarcely any money on us, so pretty much every hotel was outside our price range. We ended up spending the night in an internet café! When the next morning came around, we had no idea what time the library opened. It was some way away, but we’d spent all our money so we just had to make do with walking. We got there at 5.30 and hung around for four hours until the place opened. While we were waiting, we bumped into an old guy playing erhu and doing his morning stretches in the park next door. Turned out he was a university professor, over 80 years old, spoke great English. He asked us where we were from. We told him we were from Anhui, and that our parents were peasants. He said “ah! Peasants are the kind of people I admire most!’ Can you imagine?”

Now established as a waitress in a Hunanese restaurant, Cao is slowly starting to settle into her new surroundings. “At first, I didn’t have a clue, but the others helped me out, and I got the hang of it after a few shifts. Now it’s great – I’m good at what I do, and I love working with all the girls here.” However, though she remains sanguine about the challenges that face her, the current job is definitely no more than a means to an end. “I need to get together a bit more money first, but I’m hoping to start night school next year. I really like the idea of studying to become a tour guide, but you’ve got to learn so much, even reading classical Chinese. It’s tough. Whatever, though, I’m not going to be a waitress all my life!”