Youbing Zhan, Migrant Workers in China’s Assembly Line
Around 300 million migrant workers ensure steady economic growth in China. They come from rural areas to earn money in more economically developed regions. In the megacity of Dongguan, where over 70 percent of the population are migrant workers, the self-taught photographer (b.1973) has been a colleague, documenting their tough working days and scarce leisure time for 30 years. The selected motifs were taken mainly in the last two years, but some were taken as long as 16 years ago.
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20 Images
01
A collective dormitory at an electronics factory with over 3000 migrant workers, 2017
02
Migrant workers resting in the changing room during a work break, 2011
03
Migrant workers taking an intercity coach, 2011
04
Migrant workers seeking temporary lodging before job hunting, 2025
05
Morning rush hour with container trucks and e-bikes sharing the road, 2024
06
Workers converging at a factory gates after a fire drill, 2009
07
New electronics factory employees undergoing training, 2010
08
Industrial district grocery store, 2025
09
Assembly line workers at an e-cigarette factory, 2023
10
Electronics factory workers manufacturing phone components, 2024
11
Workers dining in shifts, 2018
12
Electricity meters in newly-built rental housing, 2025
13
Scrap recyclers guarding materials, 2024
14
Workers attending evening English classes, 2023
15
Automotive parts factory, 2025
16
Migrant workers playing games, 2013
17
Zheng Ting (19) working at a handbag factory, 2012
18
Female worker, 2011
19
Abandoned residence permits and social security cards, 2019
20
Migrant workers watching National Day military parade broadcasts, 2009
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