The antithesis of the spoiled Shanghai lady, they work in the rain, wind, heat
—Los Angeles Times. Seventeen women manually tow and haul 70 tons of waste through the slimy backwaters of Shanghai. The government, seeking to avoid negative publicity and the shame of such un-modern ways, will replace them with a system which will pump sewage directly into processing plants. Zhang Yuxi, husband of Wang Lanying: "Nobody works harder. See their rubber shoes? They can go through them in three months. Socks, once a week. Their shoulders are thick with calluses. Nobody sees that but us."'
