High-population centers of enormous size are springing up in China with dizzying speed. With them comes an increased demand for migrant workers in the construction sector, factories, and mines. In growth centers like the Pearl River Delta in Southern China, 40 million people have already set out from the underdeveloped provinces to earn their living there. The photographer Andreas Seibert accompanied the workers repeatedly in order to document their everyday lives and their journey to the high-population centers. Their stories are told in a collection of striking photographs that provide a close-up portrait to complement the current discussion of economic growth in China. Accompanying the photographs are texts by two Chinese authors, who researched the social and economic background of the phenomenon and provide a direct look.

With its combination of text and images, this volume conveys a unique impression of the scale of this modern migration of peoples.

Andreas Seibert (b. 1970) trained as a photographer in Zurich and has had numerous exhibitions, published photographs, and stand-alone publications in an international context.