MICHAEL WEBBER is Professor of Geography at the University of Melbourne. He is interested in industrial restructuring and the conditions under which people work. He is now applying this interest to the development of labour markets in China. - MARK WANG is Senior Lecturer in the School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He writes about urban development in China. - ZHU YING is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia.