This backwards little village is our home in this city

Lyrics, Music, and Vocals: Xu Duo

This song is for all the migrant workers who live and have lived in the city.

Beside this citys modern apartment complexes

Are many short, vulnerable, brick wall villages

In these villages live brothers and sisters from every place imaginable

They come here looking for a better life

In the cramped quarters of the villages ten square meter rooms

The men talk in different dialects, discussing the same things

In the morning they get on crowded buses, squeezing their way into this citys culture

And then they go on to bravely face lifes hardships

Ai!

The village roads are winding and a little dirty

In wind or rain, our countrymen will be selling vegetables on the curb

Henan braising noodles, Shaanxi cold rice noodles, Hangzhou steamed dumplings;

Here they eat their hometowns food

There is a simple migrant workers school in the village

Here the children can study and have fun playing games

In construction area beside the village, safety-helmet-wearing migrant workers

Industriously building beautiful houses for other people

Ai!

Taking our two hands and travel bags we head for town

Living this hard live weve never lost our path

We earn the rent and live in this backwards little village

Next door are apartments and overpasses built by our countrymen

Taking our two hands and travel bags we head for town

Working hard to live we wont lose our direction

Listening to Northwestern opera on the broken down stereo

He sings clear and strong with the force of life

Listening to Northwestern opera on the broken down stereo

He sings clear and strong with the force of life

Strength ------------

This backwards little village is our home in this city