CHINA'S BANK LOAN WOES
SHAANXI EXPO PAVILION UNVEILED
SANDSTORM SOLUTIONS
WORLD'S WORKSHOP, HELP WANTED
FIRST MIGRANT WORKER NOVEL
MIGRANT WORKER IMPRESSIONS
MUSEUM OF MIGRANT LABOR

RISING DEATH TOLL
KILLER MUSHROOMS
RESENTING THE RICH
FOOD SAFETY
MIGRANT WORKER WOES
HANNUKA WITH A CHINESE TWIST

 

Well from the financial aspects of China's newly announced growth figures to an unexpected literary by-product.

One of the key factors to this phenomenal economic success is the country's army of migrant workers. These are the source of the cheap labor that fuels China's manufacturing and service industries.

And as BON's Tom Mackenzie reports this often looked-down-upon sector of society has now produced a best-selling novel.

When you think of museums, words like ancient, priceless, rare or exquisite come to mind. But in the northeastern suburbs of Beijing, there's a museum which seems a world away from those concepts. And it details the often-ignored parallel history between a special group of migrant workers and the development of China.

These are various temporary residence permits from different cities through the years. They used to be like lucky charms for millions of migrant workers, because if you were unfortunate enough to come across the local police without it, you would likely be fined, arrested or sent home.

But this was never to happen again after Sun Zhigang, a college-educated migrant worker, was beaten to death in police custody after being detained for not carrying a permit in 2003.

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Meet Tao Xiangli – a migrant worker from Anhui Province who sees himself as something of a Chinese Thomas Edison.

He’s dreamed up more than 50 inventions, from noodle making machines to head massage devices.

But the pride of his collection is this – a 23 foot, 2 ton submarine made entirely from scrap.

Inflated with a bicycle pump, and fitted with a rudimentary oxygen supply, Tao’s sub can pe to a depth of 10 meters.

Time magazine recently published its 'person of the year' list - which highlights those who have had the greatest effect on the world during the previous year.

And this year one of the runners-up was 'The Chinese Worker' – the person the magazine felt was responsible for maintaining the country's 8% growth despite the global financial crisis – and for producing the vast array of cheap "Made in China" goods that are, paradoxically, so hated by the American worker yet loved by the American consumer.

But despite the huge contributions and sacrifices made by these workers - many of them rural migrants to the vast industrial cities of the East – the living standards of many are atrocious. A recent report on one migrant worker who froze to death while sleeping under a bridge in a Nanjing subway station made headlines.

It emerged that he had been sleeping there for two months. And that many other workers have slept there for years, having nowhere else to go.

Last Thursday in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, a red Mazda 6 was initially witnessed to be driving slowly through an open ground where many migrant workers usually rest at about 10pm with both headlights switched off. The driver suddenly turned on the lights and accelerated toward some migrant workers resting on the ground. Several people were hit including Liu Hui, who was run over by the car and suffered chest injuries.