The protagonist, a young man from Hunan province who arrives in Dongguan with 200 yuan (all borrowed) to find work. He is tall, physically attractive, and naive about city life. He is sent by his mother to rely on his neighbor Li Yan. He gets a job at an electronics factory scrubbing circuit boards but is unfairly fired along with other Hunan workers after a fight breaks out. He is observant, somewhat naive, and struggles with financial dependence on Li Yan.
