The Wuwucun neighborhood today looks much as it did in this photo from 2005, though the lives of its residents have improved materially. Xu Huali (at left, now 37) left rural Chongqing in 1991 with a grade-school education, eventually moving to Wuwucun in 1999 after marrying another Chongqing migrant. Xu has made shoes for more than a decade. She currently glues soles to uppers for New Balance for 2,000 yuan (about $300) per month, but in 2005, she was earning much less making Reeboks. In this photo, taken on a rare Friday off from work, Xu watches her son, Zhao Neng, being bathed by his grandfather.

A little after 7 a.m., some of the 18,000 employees arrive for work at the Taiwan-owned Freetrend plant in Longgang. It is the largest manufacturer of New Balance products in the world.

Wang Qiong, 21, started working on the New Balance line two years ago. Stitching uppers, she earns about 1,800 yuan ($275) a month and saves nearly half. Previously, she worked at an electronics factory but feels that the sneaker line better develops her marketable skills.

Wuwucun was first settled 183 years ago by a Hakka minority clan surnamed Wu. Starting in 1996, the Wus moved to modern apartments, renting their old homes to the Chong-qing migrants. On special occasions like weddings and the Spring Festival, the Wus return to hang red banners on the ancestral gate.

Zhao Neng, right, now 7 and beyond the public-bathing age, plays in a neighbor’s home. His parents, neither of whom got past middle school, save most of their income to send him and his 13-year-old sister, Zhao Huan, to school back in more affordable Chongqing, with an eye on college.

A couple who upgraded to a nearby apartment after having twins return to Wuwucun for a visit. The village homes are tiny -- about 270 square feet -- and typically house four people. The monthly rent is 150 yuan ($23), about half that of an apartment. Villagers who talk of going back to Chongqing say that it’s mainly because education and housing are pricey in Shenzhen. “Of course I want to buy an apartment,” says Zhao Xiaoyun, Neng’s dad, “but I don’t have enough money.”

Over the past couple of years, Wuwucun workers have started buying PCs and broad- band access for their families. The most popular online game among teen girls is QQ Farm, in which they raise and sell virtual crops -- precisely the world their parents left behind. Other recent lifestyle upgrades: air conditioners and satellite TV.

Sixteen-year-old cousins Zhao Xiaomei and Tan Xiao, strolling a Shenzhen market, have a number of older family members working at the New Balance factory. Both young women recently quit poorly paid restaurant jobs. Neither wants to work in the factory; Zhao doesn’t want a job at a place with so many relatives around.

Below: Because of China’s one-child policy, perhaps the greatest benefit offered by steady income is the ability to pay the fines levied after the birth of a second or third child. In 2003, Xu paid 10,000 yuan (then $1,200) after Neng was born. The amount of the fine rises with a family’s income. Most Wuwucun families would pay between $1,500 and $3,000, a year of factory pay.