Infrastructure Boom Arrives! Construction Workers' Jobs Secured, Accommodation Must Not Be Neglected

In the winter of 2008, the chill of the southern snowstorm had not yet completely dissipated, yet the roar of drilling rigs echoed along the highways of the Yangtze River Delta. That rare snowstorm cracked power transmission towers and collapsed bridge railings, making "building infrastructure to address shortcomings" a national consensus. The subsequent "4 trillion yuan" investment plan injected a powerful boost into the market—tens of thousands of construction workers, carrying their bedding rolls, rushed from Sichuan, Henan, Anhui, and other places, setting up camp on newly built highways and substations. At that time, construction site accommodations were mostly simple sheds made of tarpaulin, drafty in winter and sweltering in summer; on rainy days, water could accumulate half a foot deep under the beds. But no one complained; "having work to do and earning money" was enough to give them peace of mind.

Seventeen years later, in 2025, the infrastructure boom swept in with even greater force. On the key project lists released by 24 provinces across the country, more than 19,000 projects are scattered like stars: the cross-sea passage in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is having its piers poured, photovoltaic power stations in the northwest are being deployed across the Gobi Desert, tunnel boring machines are working day and night to excavate new subway lines in eastern cities, and water conservancy projects in central and western China are beginning to impound water. The total investment of 57.5 trillion yuan not only supports the "hard framework" of national development but also brings millions of construction workers a booming scene of "projects clustering together." This time, however, the workers are not only talking about "having work," but also "how their living conditions are."

At the construction site of the cross-sea bridge, 38-year-old carpenter Wang Jianguo moved into his new "home"—a beige folding container house. Pushing open the door, the air conditioner hums, a photo of his daughter hangs on the wall, and a mobile phone is charging at the socket by the bedside. “Before, we lived in prefabricated steel houses, and during typhoons, we were afraid to sleep all night for fear the roof would be blown off. Now, this house has a typhoon resistance rating of level 17, so I can sleep peacefully at night.” Wang Jianguo was referring to the “standard housing for people’s livelihood” in the new wave of infrastructure construction – folding container houses.

This seemingly ordinary housing is a precise response to the needs of construction workers. It uses high-strength steel for its frame, capable of withstanding level 17 typhoons. In typhoon-prone areas along the southeast coast, there’s no longer a need to dismantle and relocate in advance as before. Its modular design makes transportation exceptionally convenient; a 17.5-meter flatbed truck can carry 23 folding units. Once at the construction site, a crane and two workers can assemble one unit in 10 minutes, matching the “rapid start” pace of projects. Even more thoughtful are the internal features: fireproof insulation layers keep the winters warm on northern construction sites, and the added water heater and storage cabinets give the “temporary accommodation” a homely feel.

Even more remarkable is that this type of house can be moved. When a project ends, workers simply pack up the furniture, and the container houses can be disassembled, folded, and transported to new construction sites with the construction team. At a wind power project site in Inner Mongolia, the project manager calculated the savings: "Previously, temporary dormitories were built, and dismantling them resulted in a lot of construction waste. Now, with foldable container houses, we can reuse them three times, halving the cost and making it more environmentally friendly."

From the "simple sheds" of 2008 to the "foldable houses" of 2025, the change is not just in accommodation conditions, but also in the warmth of people's lives amidst the infrastructure boom. If the 57.5 trillion yuan investment is in building roads, bridges, and power stations, then these unassuming container houses are building "warm homes" for road builders, bridge builders, and power station builders. They are not as grand as cross-sea bridges, nor as dazzling as photovoltaic power stations, but they truly meet the daily needs of construction workers—meeting their expectations for safety, their desire for comfort, and their simple wish to "participate in national construction and share the fruits of development."

Today, more and more foldable container houses are rising from the ground at infrastructure construction sites across the country. Some projects have been equipped with smart access control systems, others with fire alarm systems, and still others have created small public activity areas where workers can chat and read after get off work. These subtle changes reflect the upgrading of the "soft power" of the infrastructure industry—when we talk about infrastructure, we should not only see the "hard power" of steel and concrete, but also the lives of the people behind it.

Perhaps one day in the future, when these infrastructure projects become new landmarks, people will remember the grandeur of the cross-sea bridges and the brilliance of the photovoltaic power stations, but they should also remember that behind these magnificent projects, there was a group of construction workers who, in a warm, folding container house, unloaded their day's fatigue and looked forward to the smiling faces of their families. This is the most touching aspect of the infrastructure boom—building both national treasures and warming countless homes.