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In 2005, Chen settled down as a garage keeper in Meilingyuan Community in Shanghai's Putuo District. Even though the money is just one third of what he got before, he is satisfied as he gets much more time for painting. Chen's "home" is a 3-square-meter room next to the garage, just enough for a single bed and a small desk.
This small "studio" quickly drew attention of community residents, who recommended he exhibit his paintings at community activities. In May 2011, the Shanghai Tongbai Middle School held an exhibition for Chen and the school's painting teachers have frequently paid visits to provide professional instruction ever since.
But just as Chen's dreams were in reach, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis and then liver cancer in August 2011. Local broadcaster Shanghai TV brought attention to his plight. The Heren Foundation, a charity organization, donated money for his liver transplant, which he received in April 2012 at Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital.
"I was deeply moved by Chen's persistence," said Yang Bingkun, President of Zhongshan Hospital. "His passion and great efforts for painting are very admirable."
On July 11, 2012, the Shanghai Liuhaisu Art Museum held an exhibition for Chen. "We have an ancient Chinese painting masterpiece called Along the River During the Qingming Festival, displaying landscape and daily life of the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). I want to draw a modern version of it, showing a massive picture what I have seen and experienced in these years and hope my story can encourage more people to pursue their dreams like I do," Chen said.
In another tiny shabby room in Fuzhou, southeastern Fujian Province, migrant worker Zhou Shuheng wrote a 450,000-word novel, which drew more than 500,000 hits online before it came to the attention of publishers.
Born in 1978 in Sichuan, Zhou left his hometown when he was 16 and worked many different jobs in different cities. "I know more about the real conditions of migrant workers and what they really think about, as I am one of them," Zhou said.
When he decided to start writing a novel, his workmates thought he was joking. "It is indeed unrealistic for a person who didn't even finish high school, but I think there must be a person to write the stories down to let the other people know more about this group."
The novel is about three young migrant workers from Sichuan working in Fujian. "About 60 percent of the stories are my real experiences," Zhou said. "I was in tears while writing these stories."
"This book, based on the author's true experiences, has made the living conditions of migrant workers tumble into public view again," said Yu Jianrong, head of the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Occupational diseases, unpaid overtime, being cheated, prejudice from urban residents and tedious leisure are all recorded in Zhou's novel. In March 2010, Beijing-based World Affairs Press published Chinese Migrant Workers as China's first novel displaying the full picture of the group.
"Everybody wants to be understood and I hope this book can help people more clearly hear the voices of migrant workers," Zhou said.
Zheng Weidu is a 23-year-old farmer-turned-garbage collector in Shenzhen, southern Guangdong Province. In his spare time, he joins a hip-hop group with five other young migrant workers who call themselves the Lemon Tree Six.
Last October, this group took the stage on Chinese Dream Show, a popular reality show on Zhejiang TV Station and won uproarious applause.
"Every time I go back home for the Chinese Lunar New Year, my mom only cares about how much I earn and when I am going to get married. But those things have nothing to do with whether I am happy or not," Zhou said. "There are not many other choices for us as there are so many things we can't afford, but we can form such a wonderful group. I hope through us, the image of migrant workers can change a little bit from people working hard for long hours in misery to a more fun, active and energetic group."
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