Migrant who wants to keep moving

Lu began working for Foxconn after he graduated from middle school, when he was 17 years old. In those days the base wage was 900 yuan a month. He says there were several across-the-board pay rises after the highly publicized string of attempted suicides among employees in 2010, but free accommodation and meals were also revoked along the way.

"I make about 3,000 yuan a month now," he says. If there's no emergency, I can save 1,500."

With his father making a similar wage in construction back home in Henan province, and his brother making 6,000 yuan a month for a manual labor job, Lu is betting on being able to earn more elsewhere.

He doesn't see a clear career path or opportunity for advancement.

"It's not that easy," he says. "Out of all of my friends only one has been promoted on the production line. He only makes an extra 300 yuan a month."

There's another push factor in Shenzhen, and particularly at Foxconn, that Lu and his friends find challenging.

There are too many boys, and not enough girls.

In the Shenzhen factory, spokesman Liu says there are roughly six male employees for every four females.

Some of Lu's peers have tried advertising with personal ads in the hope of finding romance, but have had no success.

The lucky ones find love on the factory floor.

"Lots of people meet inside the factory and get married," Lu says.

Foxconn spokesman Liu says the company has placed a lot of emphasis on improving facilities on its campuses to meet the needs of a new generation of younger workers, including the creation of a support network for their psychological needs. But with 1 million employees in China, Liu concedes it's a difficult task, and some problems are beyond Foxconn's abilities to solve.

"Most of them are unmarried young men," he says. "To deal with their psychological needs, especially when it comes to sex, is hard."

Lu shyly admits he'd like to meet a nice girl one day. At the moment though, he mostly spends his day off each week watching movies on his PC.

The majority of the films he likes are Chinese or South Korean, but he's also a fan of US actor Sylvester Stallone.

Although he tries to save as much money as he can, Lu admits his generation likes to let their hair down occasionally, and he's no exception.

"Young kids like me, when we get paid, sometimes we spend like crazy on really expensive cigarettes and stuff," he says.

Lu wants, more than anything, to one day take his entire family on a holiday. They've never had one.

"It doesn't matter where," he says, "I just want us to all go together. That is when I will feel complete."

The young man believes the most important thing in life is family, and he wants to make his proud.

Lu doesn't know exactly where he'll work next, but he's optimistic, and feels like he's in a position where he can leave Foxconn. That he can choose to do so speaks of a changing China.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," he says. "Maybe I'll go home. Maybe I'll try to start a business. I don't know. All I know is I'm sick of working in a factory."