Li Junjun is one of a fading breed among China’s 145m migrant workers who come from rural areas to the Pearl River delta to find well-paid work. Mrs Li, who has worked as a cleaner in Shenzhen for 16 years and is now 45, is not only older than many of them, but more pragmatic.
“I have no education or special skills and if I don’t do a good job and work hard, I cannot improve my life,” she says. “When I am unable to work, I will go back to my home, but there are few opportunities there.”
Mrs Li is speaking from the flat she shares with six young women, all of whom work in local restaurants. Most of those in her block are teenagers or in their 20s, and some have more ambition than to work in the city for a few years, save money to support their families and then return home.