The dream of having a modernized Beijing, including updated water, power, and sewage infrastructure, refurbished apartment buildings, repaved roadways, and an expanded subway line is coming true. The changes I’ve seen over the last seven years have been drastic. I thought perhaps the projects might stall a bit after the milestone of the 2008 Olympic Games was met, but they haven’t.

And, a very big part of making this all happen are the millions of migrant works who have come to Beijing from other provinces to provide the necessary labor.

For longer jobs, such as the construction of buildings, they live in onsite in temporary buildings. For short and more mobile jobs, such as putting down new steam pipe, they travel along in tents.

Reminds me in some ways of how the Chinese worked on the building of America’s Pacific Railroad.