Heading to the plant.

The processing begins.

Scenes of a typical day.

A pick among thousands in a day.

Beginning in September, with the arrival of cotton season, hundreds of thousands of workers, mainly from the provinces of Henan, Gansu, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui and Qinghai, swarm to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the top cotton-producing region in China. They come to pick; they come knowing the work will be hard; they come knowing the pay will be good.

Such a massive seasonal migration, with some workers traveling nearly 4,000 kilometers, has become a major annual event in the labor market of China. Differing from the past, today’s cotton labor force in Xinjiang is largely organized and supervised by the government. In some less developed parts of China, picking cotton has become a major source of supplementary income for farmers. The two-month harvest period, with many people coming from wide-ranging regions and provinces, means opportunity, both for the workers and the business base of Xinjiang.

Lacking Labor

At the labor market of Manas County, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, a cotton farmer is having no luck finding workers. “I have been waiting here for the whole morning just to hire several skilled workers,” he explains. “To attract more skilled pickers, I built a new house this year. I even hired a bus to pick them up today. But despite of all this, I have no idea at all if I can hire enough workers this year.” Looking at the few workers in the market, he appears to be more than a little concerned.

In recent years, due to market gains, Xinjiang has witnessed an expansion of cotton plantation areas. Thanks to advancing technology, the average cotton output has topped 150 kilograms per mu, requiring an increase in labor. And there is now a scarcity of workers during the cotton season in Xinjiang.

In sub-stations heading to different parts of Xinjiang, whenever a train carrying cotton workers arrives, employers crowd around the exits. September and October are the golden months for cotton picking, as well as a critical period for finding labor. Many cities in Xinjiang promulgate preferential policies for cotton workers, such as improved living conditions. Attracting more workers has become a top priority for many cities.

Most of the cotton picking workers come from the central regions. Not only are they more familiar with the task, they are also known for their hardiness and endurance.