Burmese workers play chinlone, or caneball, one evening last month at a factory in Ruili, Southwest China’s Yunnan province. Caneball is the national sport of Myanmar. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Late into the evening, Burmese line up at the Jiegao border trade zone in Yunnan province to apply for travel documents. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Burmese wait to apply for travel documents for China at the Jiegao border trade zone. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A group of young Burmese clutch documents to enter Ruili. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Several men lie on the side of the road near the Ruili border crossing. This used to be the pick-up point where Burmese workers would wait for prospective employers. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A closed shop in Ruili has been converted into a rudimentary dormitory where Burmese who have just entered the country spend the night for 10 yuan. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A Burmese woman named Heiyu makes a fire to cook a meal. Despite having a doctorate in law, she now works as a helper in a Chinese factory cafeteria. She mainly picks vegetables, washes rice and cleans for 1,800 yuan ($249) a month. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Burmese women assemble earrings at a factory. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Ma Mun sits by her bed reviewing Chinese phrases with Burmese explanations in bid to improve her language skills. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Burmese workers gather for drinks and to sing Burmese pop songs. These gatherings happen almost every night in the dorms. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

After a day of manual labor, Burmese workers stroll through the nearby hills, clutching the papayas they have just picked. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

In the evening, Burmese girls make shredded papaya salad, a Burmese dish. The food in the cafeteria is mainly Chinese, which they are not used to. So from time to time, they cook some favorite dishes from home. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Wangming set up Chinese language classes in the factory and volunteered to teach the Burmese workers. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A girl sells Burmese currency to Chinese tourists through the border fence in Yinjing village in Ruili. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

On the outer edge of the Jiegao border trade zone, a nearly 8-meter-high fence stands between China and Myanmar. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin