A Better Life For The Workers (I) was originally an internal training manual for activists working with and educating factory workers in Shenzhen, developed by Hong Kong-based NGO Worker Empowerment throughout the early 2000’s. More widely published in Chinese in 2013, the manual describes and analyzes the psychological, political, and legal issues shaping industrial work life in modern China. A Better Life For The Workers (I) is a re-publication of the original Chinese version alongside a 2021 English translation, designed by artist Jen Liu to reflect themes of hiding in plain sight, and dissolving visibility. These themes speak to the fate of the labor activists and NGO’s since 2013, an increasingly dire situation that has taken a turn to the impossible since 2020. All artist proceeds will go directly to a network of activist NGO’s in South China via Worker Empowerment.
