A day-in-the-life of a migrant worker in Beijing: simple, tiring yet content

A day-in-the-life of a migrant worker in Beijing

As he is a regular in this building, many people there know him. They greet him, saying, “Come in, Lao Nie. Are there many items today?” Lao Nie answered cheerily, “Plenty!”

A day-in-the-life of a migrant worker in Beijing

Lao Nie served his clients with a smile. He also told me three principles of his work: First, deliver an item to the client within specified time; Second, take care of the payments for goods collected from the clients and hand them in to the company on time; Third, make sure clients are satisfied.

A day-in-the-life of a migrant worker in Beijing

At 11:30 am, the temperature began to rise, and it was especially hot in August in Beijing, the pavement temperature reaching almost 40 degrees Celsius. People started to open umbrellas and wear sun hats. Lao Nie, however, had nothing to protect himself with, and he just rode his bike in the burning sun. This was not a regular working day, his usual weekly work schedule was roughly eight to ten hours a day with one day off per week.