Portraits of Chinese Workers

Xiao Hongxia, 31, from Shaoyang, Hunan
When Xiao Hongxia began working at a factory making photograph frames at the age of 17, she would end her shift by peeling off a facemask coated with a thick layer of choking particles. Xiao feared that if she stayed she would develop a lung ailment. So in 1996 she moved to a factory making electronics. The air was much better, but she had to stare into a microscope for more than 10 hours a day, often for weeks without a day of rest. When she got off work, she couldn't see clearly for hours. "I knew that wasn't going to work. What could I do? So I began to slowly study, and lift myself up." She learned some management skills, and was eventually able to move off the assembly line. Xiao, 31, is now a manager, and she gets Sundays off.

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