The locals have seen too many people go, return and leave again. Hu Angang, a labor expert at the Chinese Academy of Science, estimates that 43 million rural workers roam Chinese cities looking for work, taking with them 20 million to 30 million spouses and children. Wei's home is virtually bare, without even pen and paper. The family cannot afford to buy a casket, so they made one to assure the old man that when he dies, he will be properly buried. Within two days of their return, Wei and his wife are busy raking their plot of land.
Every available patch is stuffed with rice, corn, potato, vegetables and wheat crops.
The family eats most of the produce and the surplus is chiefly surrendered as tax. Here, if we left the fields unattended for just a few days, the family would have nothing to eat. After two weeks at the village, Wei leaves to make the journey back to Beijing and the dump. His wife stays behind to tend the crops and bring up the youngsters. All Rights Reserved.