ABSTRACT
Yiwei Tsai went to Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province to fi nd a job in 2003. She had just graduated from junior high school and was incredibly homesick and eager to contact family on a regular basis. A cell phone would have eased much of her loneliness, but she could not afford one. In her mind, cell phones were a luxury that her 1,000 RMB (US$146) monthly salary could ill afford. By 2007, Yiwei was working in a cell phone workshop, which afforded her the opportunity to own her own cell phone. Only it did not afford her enough time to use it. During the busiest months, she would log between 200 and 300 hours per month overtime. Even during slow months, she worked a 9-6, Sunday to Saturday work week.
