The Underworld Built by Migrant Workers: Transnational Labor in Taiwan

Underground Lives: Stories Untold for Migrant Workers in Taiwan

When a group of ambitious people who are brave enough to work across the seas run into rigid laws and immigration systems;

This is what is happening on the "other side" of Taiwan.

※This book was funded by the National Foundation for Arts and Culture's "Taiwan Writing Project"※



☆★ Includes the first-place entry in the 2019 Taiwan News Photography Contest: The Return of the Corpses

☆★ Go deep into the fields and see the real flesh and blood and life of migrant workers in Taiwan



They are the workforce at the bottom of the labor market. From agriculture and fisheries, construction, traditional 3K industries to the technology sector, much of Taiwan's economic growth is due to their hard work and dedication.

They shoulder the responsibility of long-term care and nursing for each family. Without them as supplementary manpower, many aspects of Taiwan, already an aging society, would find it difficult to operate.



When they appear in the public eye, they often appear flat and dark, and the images associated with them are often related to exploitation, labor injuries, and even death... However, what are they really like?



In reality, choosing to work across the Taiwan Strait means facing the unknown. These foreigners who are willing to work in Taiwan are precisely those who are brave enough to break free from their established lives and possess a sense of adventure. When they encounter a discriminatory immigration system and rigid laws, some are unfortunately crushed. However, many others demonstrate a high degree of initiative, forging connections with Taiwan through their own methods and imagination, working beyond the system's reach, and building their own solidarity, communities, and underground societies.



From 2016 to 2023, from Taiwan to Vietnam, independent journalist Jian Yongda continuously tracked the issue of Taiwanese migrant workers across borders. In addition to depicting vivid stories of migrant workers and the difficulties and crises they face at work, he also delves into institutional aspects, discussing occupational health compensation mechanisms and the human rights issues affected by migrant children. Furthermore, the book explores how the rise of ethnic economies, the role of intermediaries in transnational migration, the trend of international job hunting, and international brands' focus on supply chain labor rights have affected the plight of Taiwanese migrant workers from the perspective of international political and economic structures. This is a comprehensive and important investigative report in recent years that provides an understanding of the migrant workforce and labor market in Taiwan.



Jointly recommended



Wang Meiyu｜Supervisory Committee Member

Wang Jinhua | Deputy Editor-in-Chief, People Section, Mirror Weekly

Father Nguyen Van Hung | Director of the Office for Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Spouses

Ho Wing-hing | CEO of The Reporter Cultural Foundation

Li Xueli｜Chief Operating Officer of The Reporter

Wu Jingru | Researcher, Taiwan International Labor Association (TIWA)

Tang Furui | Writer, Director of "The Defender of Hachishamon"

Liao Yunzhang | Independent Commentary @ CommonWealth Channel Director

Cai Chonglong | Director of the documentary "Nine Guns"

Pei-Chia Lan | Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Gu Yuling | Writer and social activist

(The above is sorted by the number of strokes of surnames)

2023-10-24

春山出版

536

9786267236222