Humans of Shenzhen
THE POWER OF UNHEARD STORIES
People, Places, Possibilities
People as Subjects, not scenery
Albert, right, interviews a construction worker, center, at around 6 p.m., when construction work typically ends. Albert has been waiting at the gate of the construction site.
Albert, left, interviews a landlord, right, in Nanshan Village, Nanshan District, on a lazy Sunday. The landlord has just finished collecting rental payments.
Albert, right, interviews the manager, center, of a small family-run restaurant in Beitou Village, Nanshan District. The manager's son, left, has been helping out since the age of six.
Albert, right, interviews a construction worker, center, at around 6 p.m., when construction work typically ends. Albert has been waiting at the gate of the construction site.
At Humans of Shenzhen, we are dedicated to empowering the voices of migrant workers in Shenzhen and beyond. Through street portraits and interview series, we highlight their lived experiences as they navigate the city's social, economic, and policy landscapes. Their voices are raw, authentic, sometimes filled with grief, yet often laden with hope, optimism, and subaltern wisdom.
We've written biographies for over 40 migrant workers. Their stories will take you inside “handshake buildings” so tight that neighbors can clasp hands in the morning through opposite windows; onto stretches of land where landless farmers survive by “growing buildings” for rental instead of growing crops; and down urban-village alleys where migrant children pretend to “ski” on ground that is perpetually slippery because sunlight rarely penetrates. Through the eyes of migrant workers, you will see a different Shenzhen and envision a different modernity.
Places as histories, not backdrop
Shenzhen's rising skyscrapers have become a parable of China's economic miracle. Humans of Shenzhen turns the camera the other way, into the urban villages, factory floors, and public spaces that made the skyline possible. In doing so, we explore place-making against the backdrop of migration and modernization with a human lens.
Four decades of rapid development transformed Shenzhen from an inconspicuous fishing village into a sprawling metropolis, creating contested spaces wherein migrants and locals negotiate between tradition and modernity, equity and efficiency, management and labor, environment and development, state regulation and the free market, the global and the local...Glistering skyscrapers overshadow urban villages, home of near ten million migrant workers, while gentrification pressures factories to relocate, threatening the livelihood of entire migrant worker communities.
On a daily basis, migrant workers of Shenzhen navigate these tensions, transformations, and paradoxes that define the city of Shenzhen. Often vaunted as "China's Manhattan" for its economic prosperity, cultural diversity, and inclusive spirit, Shenzhen is a deeply intricate city. At Humans of Shenzhen, we delve into the migrant working class and the making of the city.
Under the banyan, neighbors gather on benches to play cards, gossip, and settle disputes — the village’s public square.
The owner sits on his electric bike outside the tiny shop that sells necessities, news, and neighborhood advice.
From the ridge that marks the boundary of the sprawling city, one can see Shenzhen's three CBDs glitter together. Hidden between skyscrapers, urban villages house half of Shenzhen's population.
Under the banyan, neighbors gather on benches to play cards, gossip, and settle disputes — the village’s public square.
Possibilities as rights, not charity
From wage theft to Hukou barriers, Shenzhen's migrant workers often see their rights eroded through both legal and illegal means.
We aim to change that. We aim to lift the lives and claims of migrant workers to fulfill the city's promise of inclusion: "来了，就是深圳人 (Whoever comes to Shenzhen is welcomed as a Shenzhenese)".
We turn testimony into tangible change. From publishing award-winning papers to giving TED talks, we defend Shenzhen's urban villages, which house millions of migrant workers, against stigmatization of them as "blighted areas." We reach a world audience with our book The Other Half of Modern China: Eleven Stories From Shenzhen's Migrant Workers and our photo essay on Yulv village and its migrant worker community, works recognized by The New York Times. We've submitted over 80,000 words of legislative recommendations to policymakers, efforts that have contributed to labor protection clauses in the 2024 Private Sector Promotion Law.
Stories have power. We harness that power to expand the horizon of possibilities, for a fairer Shenzhen with a brighter future.
Albert Ziqian Wang
Founder, CEO
Albert is a senior studying at Basis International School Park Lane Harbor. A Shenzhen migrant with rural roots, he has worked at Shenzhen's garment factories, lived in Shenzhen's urban villages, rode through Shenzhen's subway network, and volunteered at Shenzhen's Service Center for the Disabled. With a passion for storytelling and community empowerment, Albert launched Humans of Shenzhen in 2023 to amplify the untold narratives of the migrant workers in Shenzhen. Since then, he has given five talks, wrote three papers, and published a dozen op-eds on China's migrant working class and the socioeconomic challenges they face, such as the Hukou system (nicknamed "geographic apartheid"). In 2025, Albert published his book The Other Half of Modern China: Eleven Stories From Shenzhen's Migrant Workers, compiling 11 original migrant worker biographies. Beyond activism, Albert enjoys hiking on Shenzhen's various mountains, performing Xiangsheng, and playing vibraphones.
MEMBERS BOARD
From designers to photographers, our 40+ members come from 6 schools in and around the Shenzhen metropolitan area. Together, we are committed to social justice advocacy that aims to unveil the authentic experiences of human beings and to bring positive change that starts small -- in our community and our city.