Sim Chi Yin
VII Mentor Program
Beijing's Basement Dwellers: China's "Rat Tribe"
Liu Jing, 21, from the central province of Henan, works as a pedicurist in east Beijing. One from a series for the article "Beijing's Basement Dwellers: China's Rat Tribe,"July 2012. She comes back to her bed two floors below ground level just for a sleep before returning to work in the morning. Like many migrant workers in the Chinese capital, she works long hours and has little time for anything but work, sleep and a little Internet surfing. Her room, shared with two other co-workers, is rented by her employer. It is in a basement that runs three floors below ground, housing a warren of about 100 rooms.
Newsweek
