Migrant workers' housing in Guangdong

In our final instalment of "My Migrant Life", reporter Xu Zhaoqun looks at living arrangements for couples in south China's Guandong Province.

Gong Yuansheng lives in a temporary home near the factory he works at in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. After being separated for several years, Gong and his wife reunited at this couple's room provided by their employer. The eight square-meter room is a modest dwelling for a family of three. But for Gong, home is where the heart is.

Gong said, "It's a small room, but we have everything we need. We are a family and we can live together once again, so I am happy."

Gong has worked as a foreman at the factory for more than five years. One of his duties is supervising dozens of young employees in the workshop.

The factory has hundreds of workers. Most are young migrant workers who share the same needs for privacy and intimacy. Fu Jiqing and her newly married husband started working here six months ago. They are one of many couples on the waiting list for a room.

Fu said, "He lives in the men's dorm, and I am in the women's dorm. We can't afford an apartment. Houses for rent are too far away, so we are waiting for a vacant couple's room to become available."

The young couple's time together is limited during the day. They usually have dinner together after work, before turning in for the night at their respective dorms.

Wen Shitao, Fu's husband, said, "It seems we are still dating, just like unmarried couples. The dorms' condition is very good for the migrant workers, but we still need a place to ourselves."

Guandong Province is home to China's largest migrant worker population. Many suffer personal hardships when they relocate to new cities and are forced apart from their family.

Wang Han, HR manager of Freeway Electronics, said, "We understand the difficulties for the migrant workers who have to separate from their family. The lack of manpower is a big issue in this province. We are doing our best to make our workers happy, and I'm glad we have been able to help them."

Gong said, "We all treasure this offer very much. We will continue to work hard to achieve our dreams. I believe there will be a big house which belongs to us, sooner or later."