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Farmer Fan Xuemin, 39, is one of up to a million migrant workers who have left their families in the poverty-stricken countryside and flocked to the capital to build the new Beijing, new Olympics. Almost as much a part of Beijing  as the billion-dollar venues and infrastructure that have been created for the  Games, the workers, unlike the buildings they have created, are likely to disappear as the tourists arrive.
Where are you from?

A village near a lake called Dongping Hu, by Liangshan, in Shandong province.

Do you have  family there? 

Yes, a wife and an 11-year-old daughter.

When did you come to Beijing, and why? 

I came about a month ago because there's nothing to do on the farm at this time of year, and everyone knows there's a lot of work going on in Beijing because of the Olympics. I came here to make money.

What work are you doing now? 

We are tidying up the hutong, making them look nice - making all the walls the same colour, the tiles look the same, the street look prettier.

Do you think this is important work? 

I don't really care if it's important or not, but it gives me some money in my pocket and I suppose it makes the city look better for tourists.

How much money do you make? 

 50 yuan a day. We work seven days a week, but if it rains we can't work and we don't get anything. We are lucky it never rains in Beijing. But it's tiring because we work from 7am until 6pm every day. It's a long day.

Do you think this is a good wage? 

It's better than what I get at home.

Where are you staying? 

In a dormitory near Beijing train station. The boss pays for the dormitory and gives us food. I came here with my friend from our home village.

When will you go home? 

In June, because we need to harvest the corn. After that, I don't know - I may come back, may go somewhere else. After a while I do miss my wife and daughter though.

So you're not going home because the  government is making you and other migrant workers leave the city? 

Oh no. It's because of the harvest.

Do you like living in Beijing? 

At first I didn't like it because I wasn't used to it, and I'm not used to having to do what the boss tells me. At home I am my own boss, growing my own corn, getting up when I want to get up, working when I want to. Also the air here is terrible, my home is by a lake, and the air is clear. I think the quality of life is much better there, it's just there aren't the opportunities to make money.

Do you think the Olympics are good for China, or just for Beijing? 

For the whole country. They are definitely good for people like me.

Why? How will the Olympics affect village communities? 

Because of the work available in the cities, we can come here, make money - and take it back to our home towns. In this way the Games are going to have a direct influence on the countryside.




Fan Xuemin