It is always jarring to Western eyes to see women at hard physical labor -- but jobs are jobs and Chinese women appear to be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to earn their wages. This pair had been digging a ditch on a Guilin street for over an hour. They take turns at digging and resting. They approach the task in a matter of fact way, and send each load of dirt spinning into space. I photographed these people at work for ten minutes or so – another image, showing one of these women at rest, is posted in my Human Values gallery. See it by clicking on the thumbnail at the bottom . I used the full extent of my zoom lens – 420mm – to make this image from across a busy street. The 1/40th of a second shutter speed was slow enough to blur the dirt, giving it an explosive effect that contrasts to the matter of fact expressions on the faces of both women.