A COVID testing booth—or rather, a former COVID testing booth—glows alone in the night. Inside the harsh white light, a human silhouette; outside the light, a tricycle, an air conditioning unit, and the night itself.

The people's enemy has ultimately been tamed by the people.

This is Lao Wang's fourth year living here. Or more accurately, his fourth year trapped here. As one among hundreds of thousands of working-class migrant laborers, this tricycle he uses to haul goods is his lifeline. Qibao, being a part of Shanghai that's neither quite urban nor quite suburban, has no shortage of cheap single-story housing.

But Lao Wang doesn't rent a place to live. He'd rather suffer alone in this abandoned booth—cool in winter, warm in summer—than let his wife and children suffer.

In 2022, as the White Paper Movement shattered China's zero-COVID policy, the once "thriving" pandemic industry ground to a halt. The reason Lao Wang moved into this place isn't as dramatic as you might imagine; his motivation can be explained by an online joke about people from Henan: "Saw nobody wanted it, so I took it."

In its actual usage context, that phrase does carry considerable regional prejudice. But flip it around, and it truly reflects the survival wisdom of Lao Wang and countless other migrant workers: when society in the sunlight leaves no room to live, life finds its own way out in the shadows.

Lao Wang doesn't know how much longer he'll stay here. He says at least until his child finishes school—in China, even people from the most isolated, backward villages know: all pursuits are lowly; only education elevates.

I wanted to ask more, but from Lao Wang's expression, I could tell he was utterly exhausted. Perhaps tomorrow night he'll appear here again, curled in the same position on that damp mattress; or perhaps tomorrow he'll vanish without a trace, and this testing booth will end up like all the other abandoned booths, eventually thrown into a landfill during some cleanup operation.

The next morning, the sun rises as usual, and Lao Wang’s tricycle departs as usual.