In 2013, I directed a short documentary about Cheng Jian Wen, who makes a living washing the windows of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, 474 metres above ground level. Like almost one third of Shanghai’s 23 million inhabitants, he is a migrant worker who was drawn to the city by the promise of better pay.

Despite his position on top of China’s gleaming trophy of capitalist success, he dreams of a simpler life in his hometown running his own small business. Since the documentary was made, Cheng Jian Wen has quit his job and returned home to pursue this dream.