Select one of three identification cards and take on the life of a migrant. Each is a fictionalized character, created based on a rich official survey on migrants’ livelihoods and other primary sources (see Overview). Although creative licenses are taken, each is a realistic portrayal of these migrants’ diverse experiences, aspirations, and the tensions they feel. In addition, at the bottom of each narrative, we interviewed real-life migrants to offer reflections in their own words.
This blue-collar migrant spills his thoughts in his diary on the eve of his 50th birthday, reflecting on being a migrant for decades in Chengdu and longing for his family.
This white-collar migrant pens an open letter on her blog. The daughter of Zhou Xiaofeng, Yan Zi (her nickname) is a millennial migrant who has had improbable success in Shenzhen as the founder of an education startup.
This teenage Dreamer, intensely stressed that he is being forced to return to laojia (hometown) in Shandong, writes a letter to his grandmother. He was raised by migrant parents in Beijing and knows no other home.