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But what is not seen in the television pictures, is the almost invisible army of 7,000 migrant workers who built the iconic structure, not to mention all the other spectacular venues. Their contribution is remarkable, although they are often paid little and receive even less recognition. In our extensive travels around China, we were very impressed by the men who work with such dignity, and sacrifice so much to provide for their families, who they almost never see. So, more than a year ago, we decided to profile one of the Bird’s Nest’s migrant workers in the hope that at least one of the vast array of workers would remain nameless no more. The workers behind the building boomOf course, gaining access to a migrant worker at the Bird’s Nest proved no easy task. We began submitting multiple requests through every local, national and international agency that had any part of the Olympics. Finally, after months and countless faxed interview requests, officials produced for us an executive with the principal construction company building the Bird's Nest. That, of course, was the Chinese bureaucratic way. With good intentions, officials figured that a project as important as the Bird’s Nest should have an executive of high caliber speaking about it. I had no luck in trying to explain that it could be a terrific tribute to show the working guys building it.Ultimately, it didn't matter because we got lucky. During that interview, we happened to meet a great guy on the building site we would come to spend a fair amount of time with over the course of a year: a 34-year-old migrant worker named Zhang Tao'An.Like many of China's 150 million migrant workers, Zhang comes from a rural Chinese village where farm machines have replaced many men and the jobs which do exist don't pay as much as those in the cities where China is experiencing its explosive building boom.So, Zhang traveled to Beijing in hopes of making up to $90 a week – joining a transient population of two million migrant workers who staff some 10,000 construction sites, building floor space that if laid out, would be three times the size of Manhattan. The migrants live at the work site in aluminum dormitories, sometimes 12 per room. They have no heat or air conditioning and it's helpful to know how to sleep with noise around. The construction sites alongside the dorms usually operate 24/7Many of the workers work at least six days a week and have little to no health benefits or legal protection if a bad boss cheats them. Zhang said he had some bad experiences, but that he would keep doing the work. Despite the difficulties, Zhang’s motivation is identical to that of parents everywhere: If his work can somehow make it easier for his son and daughter to attend college and live a better life, then it's worth it, he said. He hopes that the new opportunities available to his children’s generation, which were not available to him or his parents, will also help. Though he admitted, he misses his family very much.With many migrant workers sending home most of their salary, they can afford to see their families only once a year: during Chinese New Year. Over the holiday, the construction sites of this massive country are silenced, and in a reverse migration, more than 100 million workers head home.Last February, during this year’s holiday, Zhang invited us to go home with him. He was excited. With the little money he had scrimped and saved, he went into a local market to buy presents for his family and friends.
From http://www.chinatopsupplier.com/ chinatopsupplier