Ant tribe

　 Several "ants", or struggling college graduates, on their way to work. [Courtesy of Lian Si]

　

　 Di Qun, one of the "ants" in Tangjialing, rests in his rented room. [Courtesy of Lian Si]

Wang Yan recently quit her first job, where she worked as a Web designer in a private company in Zhongguancun in Beijing.

　
　

Walking along the muddy street in Tangjialing, a village outside the North Fifth Ring Road where many college graduates live, the 23-year-old looks distinctly unhappy. Her steps seem heavier in the freezing morning.

　
　

For many recent university graduates, Beijing"s winter seems even more frigid this year, with its grey skies and howling wind possible portents of a bleak future.

　
　

Wang quit her job because her boss suddenly stopped the program her team was working on. She believed she and her colleagues would eventually be sent back home. She could not really see a future working there.

　
　

"It is not easy to find a job in Beijing nowadays," Wang said.

　
　

"But I still believe that I will find something soon with a wage no less than 2,000 yuan per month. And it would be even better if they will sign a contract with me."

　
　

Wang is from Langfang in Hebei province. She moved to Tangjialing right after graduation from college in Hebei this June. She is one of more than 50,000 people from outside of Beijing living in the village.

　
　

In their 20s, they have come to Beijing to pursue their dreams. They are called "ant tribe" by Lian Si, who has written a book with the same name based on his interviews of these people.

　
　

Wang came to settle down in Beijing because she thought it"s hard to find a job as a Web designer back home. She believed the capital city, which is the biggest and nearest city to her hometown, offers more opportunities.

　
　

Wang is staying with her friend Song Rui in a cramped and dreary 9-sq-m room. The heater is on, but doesn"t seem to provide enough relief from the biting cold. Wang and Song stay huddled in bed to fight the cold that seeps in from the only window in the room.

　
　

Song came to Beijing in August to stay with Wang after she tried a couple of jobs in Hebei. She began working for the same company as Wang - but is now planning to return home after a four-month struggle.

　
　

"I thought there would be more opportunities and I could learn things in Beijing," Song said.

　
　

"But it is not that easy at all. I have received four calls in a day from companies I never heard of or applied to. But after the interviews, I found they were the same as the company I am working for now, which can fire you anytime."

　
　

Wang and Song can each make about 2,000 yuan per month. It costs 300 yuan a month each for rent, about 500 yuan each for food and 200 yuan for transportation. They don"t go out much because they are so worried about money.

　
　

"There are some small clothes shops and record stores in Tangjialing, but we try to not visit them - just in case we want to spend money," Song said.

　
　

Wang isn"t too worried about the rent after Song leaves. Song said one of her friend is considering coming to Beijing soon and could share the room with Wang. "That is Tangjialing - a place where people always come and go."

　
　

Zhao Xiqing, 22, is from Kiamusze in Heilongjiang province. He has been working for a year at a Lenovo after-sales service office in the Zhongguancun area.

　
　

Even though he signed a contract with the Chinese IT giant after graduation from a college in Changping district, he is not completely optimistic about his future in Beijing.

　
　

"It is hard to say if I can stay in Beijing for good," he said. "But if I go back home, my parents would be disappointed in me because they think because I studied here I should be capable of living here.

　
　

"My goal for the next three to five years is to make enough money to move out of Tangjialing and buy to an apartment for myself in Beijing."

　
　

Shang Pengrong moved to Tangjialing because some of his friends, including Zhao, lived there.

　
　

Before Zhao helped him find a job at Lenovo, Shang interviewed no fewer than 50 times and tried working at more than 10 companies last year.

　
　

"I have worked as a product promoter, at an estate agency, in logistics and so on," he said.

　
　

"The shortest work I did was working as a house agent for a week."

　
　

He feels nothing he tried before is as good as his present job, where at least he has a signed contract.

　
　

"It"s a great job and I will work here for a few years," he said.

　
　

"But I don"t plan to stay for long. I will go home and have my own business eventually. My ideal life is to open a Beijing restaurant in Kiamusze and be the boss rather than work for others."

　
　

It is now the winter of discontent for millions of young graduates.

　
　

But just as spring will inevitably bring color and renewal, their dreams await a more benevolent climate.
　

　

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