Burmese workers in a sugarcane field in Lincang, Southwest China’s Yunnan province, in February. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

Two Burmese workers dig out sugarcane roots. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

The 1-year-old son of a Burmese worker in Lincang chews on a sugarcane stalk. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A Burmese woman carries plastic ties used for bundling sugarcane on her back. Eight years ago, she and her husband came to Yunnan with the dream of earning enough to build their own house in their hometown. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

For each bundle of sugarcane, a Burmese worker receives a card that can be exchanged for 3 yuan (42 U.S. cents). Skilled workers can earn 200 to 300 yuan a day. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A Burmese child, who lives with his mother in Lincang, shows her bookkeeping ledger. His mother works in the sugarcane fields. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

In Lincang’s Mengding town, a Burmese worker suffering from kidney pain lies in bed. Workers like him are prone to stomach and kidney problems as they often drink untreated groundwater and have irregular diets, especially during the harvest season, according to the nurse caring for him. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A Burmese worker walks through a sugarcane field. He’s temporarily unable to do intense work after undergoing surgery for a perforated stomach. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

As dusk falls, a child sits on a bundle of sugarcane, waiting for her parents to finish their work. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin

A worker secures freshly loaded bundles of sugarcane onto a truck. Photo: Zhang Ruixue/Caixin