Editor’s Letter

Chinas stunning economic rise over the last 40 years relied on the labor of the countrys migrant workers. Since the beginning of economic liberalization， millions have moved from central and western regions to staff assembly lines in new manufacturing hubs in the countrys east. They left behind homes， families， and land， and contributed to what was called the “factory of the world.” Now， four decades on， we ask “whats next？” for the migrant workers that helped build contemporary China.

In our two-part cover story， we first report on Chinas first generation of migrant workers， who began working in the 1980s and 90s. Theyve grown old and should be close to retirement， yet with no fixed employment and mostly locked out of urban pension schemes， many of them have no choice but to keep on toiling. Meanwhile， the newest migrant workers （those born after 2000， or “post-00s”） are more educated， autonomous， and aware of their rights than previous generations. They are no longer satisfied with working in a factory or on a construction site， instead finding more freedom in the digital economy by working as gig deliver drivers. But that brings its own challenges， with the algorithms of giant tech companies proving just as oppressive as any factory foreman.

Elsewhere， this issue features a bumper collection of four in-depth feature articles on： how young professionals are changing care for the elderly; the warped world of Chinese online reviews; the struggle against adolescent depression; and an uncertain future facing long-distance buses， a lifeline for many in rural areas and small towns. We travel along a historic but controversial （and now viral） railway in Yunnan province， then take another trip down memory lane by talking to millennials who pine for the “good old days” of internet cafes. In our culture section， we interview Li Liao， an artist famous for spending weeks on the assembly lines at Foxconn in 2012， to discuss his new exhibition based on his experience working as a delivery driver for half a year.

Together these stories represent my first magazine issue as managing editor of TWOC， as I take over from Hatty Liu after two years as her deputy. I want to pay tribute to her wonderful leadership of the magazine over the past four years， and assure you， the reader， that I and the rest of our team will continue striving to deliver exceptional， in-depth， original reporting on Chinese society for you to enjoy. I hope the remarkable stories our editorial team have crafted in this magazine are a testament to that goal.

Sam Davies

Managing Editor