Within a Sky Full of Earth

«Since Beijing was awarded the Olympic Games in 2001, the city has been pelting itself into modernity. By the opening of the games, it will have added five new subway lines, 300 kilometres of road, 37 new sports venues, and uncounted millions of square metres of retail, residence and office space. Hundreds of skyscrapers have been built in the past 15 years.
Cranes have long been considered sacred in China, cherished by Buddhists, Taoists and the Manchu: black-necked, sandhill, red-crowned. Now a different type of crane dominates Beijing's skyline: Positech, Manitowoc, Pegasus.More than half of the world's construction cranes are presently in China. I can count 34 of them from the windows of my apartment alone.
Human labour is so abundant here, planning restrictions so loose and safety regulations so scant that buildings can be knocked down and thrown up in astonishing times. Beijing's population of migrant workers is estimated at five million; thousands more arrive from the countryside every week.»
[ROBERT MACFARLANE IN THE TELEGRAPH • READ THE WHOLE THING HERE]