It's a hard life for 54-year-old Zhao Xiulan. She gets up early every morning and brings some water with her while she works. "I only eat mantou, (steamed bread), and nothing for lunch. I sometimes forget lunch", Zhao told a journalist as she searched for iron at a construction site.

Despite the hardship, Zhao still finds pleasure in her busy life. "My shoulders and back hurt at night, but thinking of my children makes me feel happy," she says and smiles.