✪ 2023 Southern Metropolis Daily & Ching Po Daily’s Top 10 Books of the Year
✪ When Stephanie Land’s MAID meets Leslie T. Chang’s FACTORY GIRL meets NICKEL AND DIMED

“She had a work uniform, a name badge, and a clip to hold back her hair, as well as a China Merchants Bank card. It was the first time in her life that my mother had a job title: Cleaning Staff.”

After living apart for decades, Xiaoman’s mother decided to move in with Xiaoman and found a job as a cleaner in Shenzhen. This forced Xiaoman to reconnect with her mother, confronting their strained relationship in close quarters. Countless quarrels and tears became routine until Xiaoman resolved to approach this relationship with a fresh perspective.

It was then that she truly began to observe her mother's daily life. Cleaners, often elderly and previously overlooked, worked tirelessly around the clock, hoping to save for retirement. Aged from their 50s to 80s, these individuals carried their weathered bodies and souls, blending unnoticed into the bustling crowds.

Four different cleaning jobs, over forty different cleaning tools...Xiaoman’s mother’s tales from workplaces gave Xiaoman a glimpse into the underbelly of the seemingly glamorous modern city.