Building a modern city needs workers.

And this gives rural women new opportunities.

Yao Lin says when she came to Shanghai, she felt free for the first time in her life.

The city is a completely different world.

She's left the fields far behind.

Yao Lin said, "Everyone leaves to earn big money. It's hard to stay at home. I want to do it while I'm still young."

Living conditions are much better than at home. And one month's pay in Shanghai equals a a whole year's income in the countryside. But it comes at a cost.

Yao also said, "I miss my children at home. Sometimes I really feel tired, but I want to keep going."

Before the New Year, some 150 million workers took a break from building the country to see their families.

But not Yao Lin. She feels awful, but she says she's fighting for her future.

Back in Shahe, Yu Guilan is also fighting for her future. And she's doing it on her own, as her husband is dead.

Yu Guilan knows she will never leave the village.

And she hopes her son won't follow in her footsteps.

In tomorrow's Across China Special, we take a closer look at a draft law protecting private property. Although the principle is enshrined in Constitution, the question remains how to implement it. Please join us then.

 

Editor:Liu Fang